Of Love and Creatures
by Neverbird
Summary: The Gryffindors and Slytherins become reluctant parents of a particularly feisty breed of magical creatures. Naturally, Harry and Draco are partnered together. Expect romance and chaos in equal measure. slash HD, RHr. PreHBP, now AU. COMPLETE!
1. The Assignment

For those of you who just can't make it to the 16th, hopefully this will make the wait go by faster. It's my first H/D (I'm a recent convert from Harry/Ginny), and I'm a bit unfamiliar with the territory, so hopefully this hasn't been done before. I'll try to stay in character,keep it grammatically correct, andmake you laugh. Please read and review!

Disclaimer:All characters in this story, as well as the author, areowned byJ.K. Rowling. Don't sue.

Of Love and Creatures - Part 1

by Neverbird

It was freezing out, even for January, which put precisely no one in the mood for an hour-long Care of Magical Creatures lesson. The Gryffindors and Slytherins, huddled for warmth in two distinct clumps, cast desperate, longing glances back toward the castle. Harry would have given his Firebolt to be nestled in front of the Gryffindor common room fire, instead of shivering pathetically outside Hagrid's hut.

Hagrid, of course, seemed oblivious to the cold, as his attention was fixed upon what appeared to be a large wooden box full of dirt. "Gather roun' now," he beckoned, grinning. "I've got somethin' to show yeh."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione stepped reluctantly forward; no one else moved.

"C'mon now, this is fer yer project. No need to be scared, they won't bite yeh – well," he chuckled, "Not in the sense yer thinkin' of anyway." Harry and Hermione exchanged a worried glance, while Ron tried to step backwards discreetly.

Draco Malfoy gave a disdainful little snort. "How about you tell us what _they_ are, and then I'll decide if I feel like moving closer."

"And do they bite, or don't they?" added Dean Thomas nervously.

"Project?" asked Parvati Patil.

Hagrid shrugged, ignoring them. "Suit yerselves." He leaned over the side of the wooden box and plunged his hand into the moist dirt. A moment later, he was firmly clutching what appeared to be a large, white ferret.

"Oh, how cute!" gasped Lavender Brown.

The ferret-like creature regarded the students with large, black eyes. "How tragic," it remarked, in a nasal, American-accented voice. "Merlin's beard, they're uglier than a gnome's backside."

Twenty pairs of eyes stared dumbly at the creature for a moment; the creature stared brazenly back. Even Malfoy seemed speechless.

Ron finally broke the silence. "Hagrid… it talked!"

"And it called us ugly!" Blaise Zabini added, sounding offended.

"What _is_ it?" asked Pansy Parkinson. All eyes fixed upon Hagrid expectantly, as Hermione's hand shot into the air.

"Looks like Hermione's the only one't did the readin'." Hagrid regarded the rest of the class with eyebrows raised. Most of the Gryffindors had the decency to look sheepish – Care of Magical Creatures hadn't exactly been a priority, as they'd had three feet of parchment due for McGonagall that morning.

Hagrid sighed. "Perhaps yeh should fill em in, Hermione."

Hermione nodded. "Well, if I'm not mistaken, the creature you see here is known as a Jarvey. They can be found in Britain, Ireland, and I believe North America, generally underground, where they feed mostly on gnomes and rodents. They're probably best known for their tendency to insult-"

"What an insufferable know-it-all," murmured the Jarvey. Hermione turned scarlet, while Ron bit back a grin. The Slytherins laughed mercilessly.

"Thank yeh, Hermione," said Hagrid loudly. 'Now, I want yeh all to take a look at these Jarveys 'ere, since yeh'll each be takin' care eh one for the next week. They're not quite full grown, yeh see, so they'll be okay above groun'."

Hermione's eyebrows furrowed. "Hagrid, are we really equipped to take care of them? The Ministry of Magic classifies them with three X's, which isn't _too_ bad, but-,"

Hagrid smiled. "Don't yeh worry," he assured her. "They're not physically dangerous, yeh know – just a bit…er…psychologically dangerous, right. Yeh'll be able to 'andle em, no problem. Now, I 'spect I best start assignin' yer partners."

"Can't we pick our partners?" Parvati asked hopefully, inching towards Lavender.

"Er… not this time." Hagrid sighed. "Right. Yer not goin' the like this, but the headmaster seems the feel that…er… interhouse relations have to begin somewhere, so I'll be mixin' yeh up a bit."

Pansy Parkinson's eyes flashed. "So, basically, you're telling me that I'm going to have to work with some idiotic Gryffindor for a week, and my grade depends on it?" The nostrils on her little pug nose flared dramatically.

"Well," said Hagrid calmly. "Hermione Granger's 'ardly an idiot, so I 'spect yeh won' have any trouble at all, Pansy." Hermione grimaced, but said nothing.

"No use complaining, really," Hagrid continued. "Professor Dumbledore's orders. Now, let's see - we'll 'ave Neville an' Blaise… Ron and Gregory…Lavender and Millicent…" Harry couldn't hear half of what Hagrid was saying, as his classmates' grumbles reached a crescendo. "Dean an' Theodore, and finally, Draco an' Harry."

"What!" screeched Draco.

"Hagrid!" Harry exclaimed.

Hagrid shot Harry an apologetic look. "Yer the only one't could 'andle im," he muttered, giving Harry a hearty pat on the shoulder. Harry sighed miserably and chanced a quick glance at Malfoy, who pulled a horrible face at him. He had a feeling it was going to be a long week.

The rest of the lesson was devoted to going over the guidelines for Jarvey care, which Harry found to be fairly straightforward. To Lavender and Parvati's visible relief, the Jarveys were too young to eat rats and voles, so Hagrid distributed sacks of grains and nuts to everyone in the class. "The main thing to member is that yeh've got to keep an eye on yer Jarvey at all times, 'specially when they're this young," lectured Hagrid. "That's why yeh've got a partner – so yeh can switch off, whatever yeh need to do, but yeh need to watch yer Jarvey as if it were a 'uman baby."

Harry tried to imagine Malfoy taking such thorough care of anyone or anything. It didn't seem likely – he'd never seen Malfoy so much as pet a cat.

"All right," Hagrid said finally. "Now line up with yer partners, and I'll give yeh yer Jarvey."

By the time they had all been distributed, there wasn't a glummer looking group of students to be found anywhere. "Amazing," one Jarvey commented, shuddering. "They're even less attractive when they're miserable."

Hagrid beamed. "Aren' they jus' the sweetest?" he said, his voice frighteningly devoid of irony. For the first time ever, Harry wished he had opted for Advanced Divination instead.

Gets juicier and sillier in later chapters. I'm trying not to rush things. :)


	2. Proud Parents

I hope you're enjoying this so far.

Something important that I forgot to mention before the first chapter: NEWT level restrictions don't apply in my story. That means everyone gets to take all the classes I want them to take, whether they got the appropriate number of OWLs or not.

Without further ado…

Of Love and Creatures- Chapter 2

By Neverbird

"Just so we understand each other, Potter, I want nothing to do with you or that… creature," Draco announced as soon as Hagrid was out of earshot.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Sure, Malfoy."

"I mean it," Draco continued. "You're on your own with this hairball. I'm out of here."

The Jarvey, cradled like a baby in Harry's arms, glanced briefly at Draco's retreating figure and snorted. "He walks like a Muggle."

Draco froze in his tracks and turned around slowly. "What did you just say, Potter?" he hissed, gray eyes flashing dangerously.

"_I _said you walk like a Muggle," the Jarvey repeated. Harry almost kissed its furry head.

"How… how dare you, you nasty, horrible, wretched creature!" Draco sputtered, looking fit to explode. "I AM A MALFOY!" An angry flush spread across his pale cheeks.

"Honestly, Malfoy," Harry couldn't help but add, "I'd have expected you'd be a bit friendlier to our Jarvey, seeing as you two have so much in common. A ferret that gets its kicks from insulting people…"

Draco walked slowly over to Harry, until he was so close, Harry could feel the warmth of his breath. "Listen, Potter," he snarled, grazing Harry's chin with the tip of his wand. "If I ever hear you so much as whisper the word 'ferret' again, I'll hex you so badly that the Dark Lord won't even have to raise his wand to finish you off."

Harry met the Slytherin's gaze defiantly; he wasn't afraid of Malfoy. They remained stubbornly locked in the deadliest of staring contests, until the Jarvey saw fit to interrupt. "Raging sexual tension? I see how it is."

"WHAT!" the two boys hollered in unison. Harry nearly flung the Jarvey to the ground.

"No? Guess I must be mistaken, then," murmured the Jarvey, smiling happily. "By the way, I'd go easy on the hair gel if I were you. Your head looks like a sucked on sherbet lemon."

"I've had enough," snapped Draco. "You're going to have to deal with this thoroughly despicable creature on your own. There's simply –,"

"Oh no you don't, Malfoy! This is a two-person job, so don't even try to put it all on me!"

"Sorry, but I'm afraid Malfoys can't be bothered with furry things."

"Well, you'll be bothered with this furry thing if you intend to pass Care of Magical -,"

"EXCUSE ME," roared the Jarvey, stunning both boys into silence. "I _have _a name, you morons."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Oh, do you?"

"Yes, Hair Gel Boy, as a matter of fact, I do. I'm Leonardo. Leo."

"Leo? I quite like that," murmured Harry, who had warmed up to the Jarvey by the second Malfoy hair insult. "I'm Harry, by the way, and that prat's Malfoy."

"_Draco_ Malfoy," snapped the Slytherin. Harry gave him an odd look.

"Oh, shut up, Potter. It's Malfoy to you." And with that, he turned on his heel and stalked away, nose in the air.

"I hope you don't think I'm keeping him all week, Malfoy!" Harry called after him. "I'm handing him over to you tomorrow in Potions!" Draco made a rude gesture over his shoulder in reply.

Harry sighed, and looked down at the gray bundle of fur in his arms. "Well, Leo, you're lucky you have me," he murmured. "Malfoy's rubbish with creatures."

* * *

Harry took Leo to Gryffindor Tower, only to find the common room in the throes of chaos. About half of the Gryffindor sixth-years had custody of their Jarveys at the moment, and none seemed to have managed to exert even the slightest degree of control over them. Insults were shot back and forth like Quaffles in a World Cup match. Ron was chasing Crookshanks, who was chasing Dean's Jarvey around the room. Neville Longbottom stood in the center of it all, clutching a sack of Jarvey food and looking distressed. Harry instinctively hugged Leo closer to his body, so he couldn't get away.

"Oh bloody wonderful," moaned Seamus Finnegan, "Harry's brought another one."

"What was Hagrid thinking?" shrieked Lavender.

"What were YOUR PARENTS thinking when they had you?" retorted one Jarvey from its perch on the couch's armrest.

"Heloise!" scolded Hermione. "You apologize to Lavender _right now._"

"I'm sorry… that you're so UGLY!" Lavender burst into tears and fled to the girls' dormitory, Parvati at her heels.

"ENOUGH!" snapped Hermione, scooping up Heloise and clutching her to her chest. "The Jarveys have to learn that we will NOT tolerate this sort of behavior. Neville and Dean, I suggest you take hold of yours, and don't let go. Ron, if you'll grab Crookshanks…"

"You hear that, Crookshanks?" Ron murmured, pulling the big ginger cat into his lap. "She's doing her McGonagall impression again." Hermione couldn't entirely suppress her smile.

Under Hermione's leadership, order was finally reestablished, and soon all four Jarveys were nestled sweetly in their caretakers' laps. "They're so much more pleasant when they're asleep," commented Dean, stroking his Jarvey's furry head.

"Too right," said Ron. "I wonder how Goyle's holding up with ours. Abernard, I think he's called."

Hermione looked at him strangely. "Huh. Are you sure it's not Abelard, Ron?"

"Yeah, I reckon that's it," said Ron, yawning. "Weird name, huh…"

"Sort of," murmured Hermione, her lips curved into the tiniest of smiles.

* * *

End of Chapter 2. I should note here that I've characterized Jarveys slightly differently than J.K. does in her "Magical Beasts" book – namely, I've given them a bit more freedom of speech, though they do still converse mostly in insults. Leo is based a little bit on my incredibly sassy cat.

More raging sexual tension to come. Review!


	3. Potions

Before I begin, I want to say thank you to everyone who reviewed. Your feedback means so much to me.

Ready for the next installment?

Of Love and Creatures- Chapter 3

By Neverbird

It was a long, sleepless night for the sixth-years in all four houses, as there was at least one Jarvey in every dormitory room – and Jarveys, as it turned out, tended to be so inspired by their dreams that they periodically delivered loud and scathing insults in their sleep. Breakfast was a subdued affair for the students, though the Jarveys were well rested and in rare form.

"Can't believe we have Double Potions first thing in the morning," said Seamus, yawning extravagantly, "Bloody hell."

Ron, his heavy head nestled awkwardly on Hermione's shoulder, snored loudly in response. "How crude," remarked Heloise, halfheartedly sniffing Ron's hair. "Hermione, may I bite off his revolting freckles?"

"You most certainly may not!" Hermione sounded scandalized. "And his freckles aren't revolting," she added, blushing furiously. Harry was sure he saw the briefest of smiles flash across Ron's sleepy face.

Just then, a sea of owls swooped in with the day's mail. Hedwig wasn't among them, but Harry noticed that Malfoy got a short letter that was obviously much to his satisfaction. Harry watched as Malfoy stood up, pushed his chair in, and walked smugly over to the Headmaster's table, letter in hand.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he read it, so Harry reckoned it couldn't be too bad. Then, suddenly, the Headmaster looked straight at Harry and winked. Harry, embarrassed to be caught staring, quickly turned his attention toward Leo, who was happily tucking in a piece of egg Neville had dropped on the ground.

"You like that?" Harry whispered. He quietly slipped a chunk of his own unfinished egg under the table, which Leo accepted with delight.

Suddenly, Harry had the distinct impression that someone was staring at him. He glanced back over at the Headmaster's table, just in time to see Malfoy look swiftly away, a slight blush staining his cheeks. Harry noticed that Malfoy seemed to have taken Leo's advice, forsaking the hair gel, at least for that morning. It was a definite improvement, he couldn't help but think, and he found he had trouble looking away. A nip on the hand from Leo jolted him back to reality.

"Your hand tastes like vomit," Leo complained.

* * *

As always, the Gryffindors had Potions with the Slytherins, so all ten Jarveys were present for the lesson. "This is _absolutely_ unacceptable," hissed Snape, his voice so menacing that Ron actually shuddered. "You will deposit these creatures outside my door immediately, and you are not to reclaim them until after the lesson."

"But Professor Snape, Hagrid said –,"

"Did I not make myself clear, Miss Patil? Five points from Gryffindor for your insolence."

He fixed his dark eyes upon the class, glaring at each of them in turn. "I care remarkably little about what Hagrid has told you. I make the rules in this classroom, and I insist that you banish these creatures from my sight immediately. Do you understand?"

The room was deadly quiet, until one clear voice boldly remarked, "I understand that you're a nasty, ugly git with an Exxon tanker's worth of oil in your hair."

"Leo, no!" Harry hissed. The class watched Snape in stunned silence, waiting to see how he'd react.

"What a well-timed and sophisticated insult," Snape said, his voice chillingly calm. "Might I inquire as to which one of these charming creatures has so generously graced us with its wit? And to whom does this _delightful_ creature belong?" Ron and Hermione exchanged a horrified glance, and scooted their chairs closer to Harry, protectively.

Harry stood up slowly, taking a deep breath. "He belongs to me, Professor." The Gryffindors regarded Snape with dread, as Harry braced himself for the worst.

"Potter – I might have guessed. Well, I'm afraid it will have to be twenty points from Gryffindor and detention all day tomorrow. You'll report here at nine. Now –,"

"Wait… Professor?"

Every pair of eyes shifted toward the Slytherin side of the room, and widened in shock to see Draco Malfoy rise from his seat.

"That Jarvey… well, he's my Jarvey, too," Draco said nervously, determinedly staring at the wall.

"Excuse me?" Snape asked, somewhat impatiently.

Draco inhaled sharply. "I said the Jarvey belongs to both of us. Potter and myself, I mean." He shot a quick sideways glance at Harry, who was staring at him in dumbfounded amazement.

"I see. Is that so, Potter?" Harry nodded slowly, eyes wide. "Well then, Draco, you will join Mr. Potter for detention on Saturday. Now, if we may continue -,"

"But aren't you going to take points away from Slytherin?" Ron blurted, as Draco and Harry took their seats.

"No," Snape said simply, "But I'll take five more points from Gryffindor, as you seem to question my authority." Ron's face flushed angrily, but Harry quickly clamped a hand over his mouth before he could dig himself deeper.

"Anyone else wish to add something?" Snape growled. No one dared to respond. "Good. Now, if you'll please deposit these vermin outside the door, we may _finally_ begin."

However, as soon as the door was opened, Fawkes the Phoenix soared in, bearing a note from the Headmaster. Snape grabbed the note hastily, and scowled as soon as he read it.

"Very well," he snapped, "The Jarveys are to remain under your supervision. You will pair up with your partner from Care of Magical Creatures. One of you will hold the creature and watch, while the other mixes the potion. Mr. Zabini, I suggest you hand your beast over to Longbottom, as this particular potion is far too subtle for his clumsy mind to grasp." Looking positively furious, he spat out a series of complicated instructions, and stormed to his desk.

* * *

Malfoy didn't seem keen on moving, so Harry packed up his supplies and carried them to the Slytherin side of the room. Leo, wrapped around Harry's neck like a furry gray scarf, glared down at Malfoy, who pretended not to notice their arrival.

Harry cleared his throat. "Erm… so, do you want to mix the potion, or should I?" For some reason, he found that he was feeling nervous.

"Well, Potter," Draco replied coolly, not bothering to look up from his notes, "Seeing as I'm far superior to you at Potions, and that the creature obviously prefers you to me, I'd think the answer should be quite obvious."

"Fine," said Harry, unwrapping Leo from his neck and cradling him to his chest. It had begun to feel quite natural, having a big, furry creature to hold. Draco, meanwhile, began measuring the ingredients, looking pointedly away from Harry and Leo.

Harry watched him for a moment, the nervous feeling fluttering in his chest again. "Hey, Malfoy?" he said, finally. Draco showed no sign of having heard him.

"Malfoy," he repeated, "Just out of curiosity, why'd you feel like you had to – I mean, what made you decide to-,"

"Potter?" Draco interrupted, eyes flashing. "Just shut up."

* * *

Starting to want a Jarvey of my own,

-Neverbird


	4. Ron's Little Stallion

I'm so sorry for the hiatus. I've been busy devouring Half Blood Prince, which was SO AWESOME… I have no words. But, despite its earth-shattering awesomeness, Book 6 has officially rendered my story AU. I'm asking you now to temporarily forget everything you read in HBP (except, of course, the line about Harry being obsessed with Draco). This story will continue as a post-OOTP fanfiction, and for my part, I'll try to make it worth reading.

Again, thank you so much for all the reviews. I'm glad to hear that you love the Jarveys – they love you too, in their own twisted little way.

Of Love and Creatures – Part 4

By Neverbird

Harry had expected Malfoy to pitch a fit when he handed Leo over after Potions, but amazingly, the Slytherin hadn't even tried to resist. For whatever reason, he had seemed quite resigned to taking his turn with the Jarvey, and not entirely displeased. Harry was surprised at first, then relieved, but then he was quickly overcome with regret and anxiety. No doubt Malfoy would botch it up somehow, probably on purpose. What on earth had possessed him to entrust Leo's care to Malfoy for an entire night?

And yet, Malfoy had acted almost decently today, the way he stood up and took responsibility for Leo in Potions. Harry recalled the expression on his face – nervous, but resolute. It occurred to him that he had hardly ever seen Malfoy's face reflect anything other than smug superiority. And that hair – devoid of gel, it swept across his forehead in the most intriguing way…

Shaking his head vigorously, Harry banished the thought from his mind. The important thing was, Leo wouldn't be welcome at Quidditch practice tonight, so Malfoy's cooperation was surely for the best. Hermione had already agreed to look after Ron's Jarvey for that hour our so, as well as her own, so Harry was glad not to have to trouble her further.

Practice was reasonably productive, despite the freezing temperature (and Harry being the slightest bit distracted). He and Ron were the last to return to Gryffindor Tower when it was over, cheerfully bantering as they made their way through the portrait hole.

"Oh, thank goodness you're back!" Hermione said, rushing towards them immediately. Little wisps of hair had escaped her ponytail, and were sticking out in all directions from her bright red face.

"Everything all right, Hermione?" Harry asked curiously. He peered over her shoulder, and saw that an unusually large crowd of Gryffindors had accumulated in front of the fireplace.

"Yes, well…," Hermione shifted her weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other. A sudden wave of laughter burst forth from the throng in the common room.

Ron regarded her impatiently. "Well, if you're not going to tell us, why don't you let us pass, so we can see for ourselves?"

"Oh, come on," Hermione snapped, "Just follow me. I imagine you'll find this interesting, Ronald."

Hermione, Ron, and Harry barreled between Ginny and Neville, who were standing on tiptoe to see what the commotion was about. They pushed past Dean and Seamus, who were leaning into each other, laughing hysterically. They shoved aside the Creevey brothers, who were frantically snapping pictures.

Harry looked down. "Oh," he said, biting back a grin.

Hermione sighed. "They've been at it since you left, Ron, and I can't get them to stop. They'll bite if we try to separate them – it says so in one of my books."

Ron, blushing to the tips of his ears, opened his mouth and then shut it again. "Wha… what are they doing?" he finally managed.

"What does it look like they're doing?" said Hermione.

"Hey, Weasley, your Jarvey's a real stallion," someone yelled from the back of the crowd. Ron shook his head, looking horrified.

"Well?" demanded Hermione, a shrill note of panic creeping into her voice. "What do we do?"

"Do we have to do anything?"

"Of course we have to do something, Ron! What if Heloise gets pregnant? Babies, Ron – babies!"

"Bloody hell…," Ron rubbed his temples. "I thought Hagrid said they _were_ babies…"

"Er… Hermione?" Harry said, trying desperately to clear his face of any traces of amusement. "We've only got the Jarveys for a few more days. I highly doubt Heloise will give birth by Thursday." Everyone was silent for a moment, considering this; Ron, in particular, looked relieved.

"But… but it's just so...," Hermione seemed at a loss for words. The Jarveys continued to romance each other with enthusiasm.

"Bit awkward, yes," Ron supplied. Hermione looked at him and nodded, her brown eyes like saucers.

"Maybe we should give them some privacy?" suggested Ginny, who had just managed to push her way to the front of the crowd.

"Maybe…," Ron said hopefully.

"Ron! Hagrid said we have to keep an eye on them," Hermione chided.

Ginny shrugged. "Well, I'd rather not linger," she said, glancing distastefully at the furry couple. "Honestly, I'm a bit disturbed that all of Gryffindor house seems to find this so riveting." Shaking her head slowly, she ascended the steps to her dormitory. Gradually, most of the Gryffindors tore themselves away from the spectacle and followed, until it was just Harry, Ron, Hermione, and a few of their year-mates remaining. Abelard and Heloise showed no sign of tiring.

Harry stared at the Jarveys unabashedly. It was like an apparition attempt gone to the splinch – you couldn't look away. "I wonder if they do that with Goyle and Pansy…," he murmured.

"I don't know, Harry. I doubt Goyle is Heloise's type, but I'm sure Ron's Jarvey is less discriminating," said Hermione.

"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed. Ron laughed so hard, he started hiccupping. Harry shook his head. "Merlin's beard, Hermione, you know what I meant!"

"Right," she said, eyes twinkling. "You know, I don't think Pansy and Goyle have experienced the joy of watching them both at the same time yet. Should we warn them, Ron?"

"Hmm… how about not," said Ron, grinning wildly at her. Hermione smiled shyly back.

Harry looked back and forth from Ron's blushing face to Hermione's. Amazingly, they seemed to have forgotten all about him, not to mention the pair of creatures blissfully copulating by the fireplace. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Erm… I guess I'm off to bed. I've got to be up early for detention tomorrow…"

"Ooh," said Ron, who had just barely managed to pull his eyes away from Hermione. "Tough luck, Harry."

"And with Malfoy! How horri-," Hermione stopped suddenly, giving Harry a curious look. "Detention with Malfoy _is_ horrible, right?"

"_Horrible_," Harry confirmed, a bit too enthusiastically. "Goodnight Ron, 'night Hermione."

And as he was climbing the steps to the dormitory, he could have sworn he heard Hermione whisper to Ron, "Why on earth was he blushing?"

* * *

Yes, I have a thirteen year old's sense of humor. No, I'm not ashamed. Hope you enjoyed, despite the lack of Draco (rest assured, the next chapter will make up for that).

-Neverbird


	5. Detention

First of all, I'd like to say thank you so much to those who reviewed! I truly thought people would stop reading this since it's pre-HBP, but you're all so wonderfully loyal. I feel compelled to respond to Ridley Jack in particular – I promise there will be absolutely no deaths in this story. I think we've all suffered through enough traumatic character deaths recently...

That being said, I hope you'll like this chapter. It's by far the longest one yet, so make yourself comfortable.

**Of Love and Creatures – Part 5**

By Neverbird

Having endured a long, sleepless night of Jarvey banter, Harry reported for his nine o' clock detention with bleary, red eyes and a headache. "Bloody hell," he thought, rubbing his temples. "Whatever Snape expects me to do, I'd better not have to think…" The first to arrive, he settled into a chair in the back of the room, propping his head up on the table with one hand. He didn't realize he had nodded off until the slam of a door jolted him awake.

"Eyes open, Potter," Snape drawled, seeming almost cheerful. "I'm afraid you have a most time-consuming task on your agenda today, and I certainly wouldn't want you to be here all night."

Harry didn't reply, as the majority of his energy was occupied with suppressing an offensively wide yawn.

"You are responsible," continued Snape, "For scrubbing each and every one of these cauldrons until they gleam. And to make it a bit more challenging, you are to use no magic whatsoever, and I will know if you disobey. As you can see, I have provided you with ample supplies." He gestured to a large pile of rags, Brillo pads, and Muggle cleaning products. "You will begin immediately, and you may not leave until –,"

"Sorry I'm late, Professor." Draco casually entered, carrying a disgruntled Leo in what appeared to be a pyramid-shaped cage with a handle. He slid lazily into a seat a couple of tables away from Harry, doing an admirable job of pretending not to notice him. Leo, on the other hand, perked up immediately at the sight of the Gryffindor.

"Harry! Harry, you look ghastly! My stomach turns at the sight of your under-eye circles."

Harry smiled weakly. "I missed you, too, Leo," he whispered.

Snape cleared his throat loudly. "If I may continue with what I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted…" Amazingly, he was glaring not at Draco, but at Harry, as if Harry had been the one to saunter in twenty minutes late. Harry wisely refrained from commenting.

"You are not to leave these dungeons until each cauldron is thoroughly, unrecognizably clean. And under no circumstance is that filthy creature to be released from his cage." On that note, Snape took his leave, robes billowing behind him as he stalked out of the dungeons.

"He's not staying in his cage," Harry announced, yawning, as soon as Snape was a safe distance away.

Draco gave an aristocratic little shrug. "Whatever you say, Potter. But if Professor Snape finds out, I hope you're not expecting me to stick up for you."

"Like you did in class yesterday…" Harry added slyly, undoing the latch and taking Leo into his arms.

Draco's cheeks flushed immediately. "You shut up about that, Potter."

"Right," said Harry agreeably. "Just as soon as you tell me what in Merlin's name possessed you to do it."

"Perhaps we should get started," Draco snapped, ignoring him. "I don't intend to be stuck all day here with you."

"Nor I with you, given that you reek of perfume," Leo added unhelpfully.

"For the LAST TIME, it's COLOGNE, not perfume! Perfume is for girls! Do I LOOK like a girl?"

"YES, you look like a girl," Leo gleefully retorted, "YOU DO, YOU DO!"

Rubbing his eyes, Harry looked back and forth from Malfoy to Leo. It was weird, he thought, how Leo seemed to know just which buttons to push with Malfoy. It rather saved him the trouble of insulting Malfoy himself.

Harry yawned again, stretched, and made his way over to Snape's pile of cleaning supplies. Leo immediately jumped off the desk and followed him.

"Well isn't that sweet. Leonardo can't bear to be separated from his precious Golden Boy for more than a second," Draco commented. He seemed to be affecting a tone of cool disdain, but Harry couldn't help but notice the edge in his voice.

"You jealous, Malfoy?" He scooped up Leo with one hand and a Brillo pad in the other.

"Jealous?" Draco laughed bitingly. "Hardly. You can keep him for all I care. I hate creatures." Leo glared at him, as he wriggled out of Harry's arms and into the cauldron in front of him.

"Okay," said Harry, after a moment.

Draco's head snapped towards him in surprise. "What do you mean, 'okay'?"

Harry sighed, beginning to work at a nasty area of congealed green liquid. "What do you think I mean?" he said. "You don't want to deal with Leo anymore? Fine. I can handle him."

"That's not what you said three days ago!" protested Draco.

"Well, that was then," replied Harry, yawning.

"Fine," said Draco. "Leonardo, if you'd prefer to forsake the comforts of a private room in Slytherin for the squalor of the Gryffindor dormitory, be my guest. Just don't expect Potter here to feed you wine and caviar after dinner."

"Since when do you have a private room?" asked Harry, waking up a bit.

"Since yesterday," Draco replied flippantly. "My mother was simply appalled that I would be subjected to creature chatter in the dormitory all night, so she put in a request that I be offered alternate accommodations. And what can I say – such requests go a long way when your family has the funds to back them up.

Harry blinked, shaking his head slowly.

"Oh, and there was something else in that note, I believe. Now, what could it have been… oh, right." He smirked. "It was my Ministry of Magic-stamped official exemption from this project. Meaning, I'm free to bugger off at any moment, and leave the beast entirely to you. So I hope you meant it, Potter, when you said – and why in Salazar's name are you giving me that look?" Draco's gray eyes flashed.

"What look?" Harry asked innocently.

"Cut the crap, Potter."

"Well," Harry said, "I suppose – I guess I'm just wondering why you didn't pull out of the project already, is all."

"That's none of your business," Draco snapped, blushing.

"Fine," said Harry, affecting a look of supreme indifference. Neither of them spoke for several minutes as Harry worked his way through two more cauldrons, Leo taking up temporary residence in each as Harry went along. Draco watched Harry scrub, a curious expression on his face.

Harry blushed. "Stop watching me," he complained. "Anyway, you should be cleaning, too."

Draco smirked. "Muggle cleaning? No, I don't think I will, thanks."

"Oh, really?" said Harry, a trace of amusement in his voice. He calmly set his Brillo pad down on the rim of a cauldron. "I wonder how long it will take to clean these cauldrons with neither of us working. Forever, probably. Too bad we have to stay here til they're done." Smiling sweetly, Harry made himself comfortable in Snape's chair at the front of the room. Draco looked disgruntled.

Leo emerged from Harry's abandoned cauldron and walked lazily towards Draco.

"Go away," muttered the Slytherin, but Leo opted instead to climb into his lap. Draco's eyes widened. "What are you doing? Your Golden Boy's right over there. Go bother him."

Leo rolled onto his back, looking up at Draco with round, black eyes. "You're pathetic," he declared, but in the softer, almost tender tone he usually reserved for Harry. "Rub my stomach."

Draco stared uncomfortably down at the creature in his lap. "What do I do?" he asked Harry, shooting him a panicked look.

"Well," said Harry, cocking his head to one side. "You might consider rubbing his stomach…"

"Like this?" asked Draco, making a tentative circle around Leo's stomach with one pale finger.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Have you _ever_ pet an animal before?" Draco shrugged, looking miserable.

"Okay, Malfoy," Harry said, taking pity on him. He stood up, stretched, and walked over to Draco. "It's really not hard," he said, kneeling down in front of him. "You use your whole hand, like this…"

It wasn't until Harry looked up at Draco's flaming red face that he realized he was kneeling before the Slytherin and, essentially, rubbing his lap. Blushing, he jerked his hand away from Leo's stomach and stood up hastily. "And that's how you rub a creature's belly properly," he muttered, not meeting Draco's eyes.

Draco said nothing, and concentrated on rubbing the Jarvey as Harry had demonstrated. Leo sighed happily, and promptly fell asleep. "Huh," Draco said, looking bewildered but pleased.

Harry leaned back in Snape's chair and stared at the ceiling. He was beginning to wish that he hadn't made such a fuss about not working on the cauldrons unless Malfoy did, but he was too stubborn to back down now. Unfortunately, that meant that they were about as productive as a pair of dead flobberworms. And even more unfortunately, it meant that Harry had nothing to distract him from the sight of white-blond hair falling in front of gray eyes, as Malfoy smiled down at the Jarvey.

So he was the tiniest bit attracted to Malfoy these days. That didn't make Malfoy any less of a git, and it didn't mean Harry loathed him any less. It simply meant that he couldn't help but wonder (all the time) what it would be like to kiss the loathsome git. If only to shut him up.

But Draco wasn't talking, for once – he wasn't bragging, or whining, or insulting Harry and his friends. He was simply sitting in his chair, idly rubbing Leo's stomach, and smiling down at the Jarvey like it was his firstborn child. The sight of it took Harry's breath away. He couldn't stop staring.

Then, suddenly, Draco looked up at Harry and smiled, without a trace of irony or hostility. "It's strange," he said. "I was sure he didn't like me."

Harry swallowed with difficulty. "Why did you think that?" he managed.

Draco shrugged. "He never follows me around like he does with you. And he's always insulting me…"

"But that's what Jarveys do," said Harry. "And besides…" He took a deep breath. "You can insult someone… and still…like them, can't you?" Blushing deeply, he chanced a glance at Malfoy's face.

Draco's cheeks were pink as well, and his eyes met Harry's. "Perhaps you're right," he said shyly. Harry felt a shiver of excitement course through his entire of body. Gray eyes locked with green. Harry opened his mouth to speak…

But Leo chose that exact moment to wake up and extricate himself from Draco's lap with a violent wriggle. "Your legs are too bony," he accused, glaring up at Draco. "My back hurts."

"Well, excuse me," Draco said irritably. "Maybe you'd be more comfortable in a cauldron… over an open flame."

"Maybe I would," declared Leo, sniffing the air disdainfully as he slid back into the cauldron he had previously vacated.

Draco shuddered. "I loathe creatures," he said, as if he hadn't spent the last half hour dreamily rubbing one's belly.

Harry's heart was beating uncomfortably fast, and his mind was reeling. He blinked, wondering if the last few minutes had all been a dream. Already, Draco's delicate features were rearranged into the haughty scowl with which Harry was all too familiar.

Having no earthly idea what to say to Draco, Harry instead walked over to Leo's cauldron, reclaimed his Brillo pad, and picked up where he had left off. _It was real, wasn't it?_ Resolutely, he scrubbed at a bumpy splotch near the rim. "_Perhaps you're right_," Malfoy had said. His eyes had glowed almost silver; there was no way Harry had imagined it.

Harry finished the cauldron and moved onto the next. Leo's presence made the process a bit more complicated than it might have been, as he always seemed to be stretched over the spot Harry needed to scrub; Harry managed to be reasonably efficient, nonetheless.

After awhile, he could tell that Draco was watching him surreptitiously. Several times, Draco opened his mouth as if to say something, but then seemed to decide against it. Harry pretended not to notice, but inwardly, he grinned every time Draco shut his mouth suddenly and blushed. He had worked his way through three more cauldrons by the time Draco finally worked up the nerve to mutter, "I can help, if you want."

For some reason, these six words made Harry positively giddy. "Sorry, Malfoy," he said, eyes twinkling. "I didn't quite catch that."

Draco glared. "You heard me, Potter. I won't say it again. Consider yourself lucky I even offered once." He remained stubbornly in his seat, watching the Gryffindor through narrowed eyes.

Harry knew better than to tease him further, as desperately as he wanted to. "Fine. Great," he said. "I'll get you a rag." He thoughtfully selected a green rag for Draco, flung it over one shoulder, and grabbed a bottle of Muggle cleaning liquid to go with it.

"It's decent of you to help, Malfoy," Harry said, nodding seriously as he placed the supplies on the table in front of him.

Draco, realizing that Harry was sincere, looked surprised but pleased – he, as Harry had correctly deduced, was the type of person who liked his rare good behavior to be acknowledged and glorified. "It _is_ decent of me," he agreed. "I'm a decent person. By the way, I suppose it's fine if you call me Draco. If you feel you must."

Harry stifled a grin and didn't reply.

"What's the problem?" Draco asked irritably. "It's not N.E.W.T.-level arithmancy. You say, 'Thank you, Draco.' And then you say 'Call me Harry.'"

"Fine," Harry breezily replied. "Call me whatever you want…, Draco." The name rolled off his tongue with surprising ease. He leaned towards the Slytherin, putting his elbows on the table in front of him, until their faces were only inches apart. "Incidentally, _Draco_, I have a question for you"

"What is it, _Harry_?"

Harry looked him straight in the eye. "Do you always wear cologne to detention?"

* * *

That was my marathon chapter - I admit I had a good time writing it. I realize that it's a bit OOC at parts, but I do believe a bit of that comes with the territory of H/D. If I kept them _completely_ in character, they'd simply continue to bicker and inflict increasingly serious injuries upon each other – and they'd never EVER make out!

Of course, they had the milestone "call me by my first name" moment, which is always kind of awkward, though necessary (at least for my purposes). I tried to make it a bit facetious, so they wouldn't come off as total douches.

I do realize that this entire story has been somewhat biased towards Harry's point of view. Next chapter, Draco gets his turn. Maybe he'll stop being so frustratingly mysterious…

Review!

-Neverbird


	6. Old Magic

Before I begin, I want to apologize for keeping you waiting so long. Work has sucked up much of my time and creativity (I've been walking around looking like book 6 Tonks, and it isn't pretty).

That being said, thanks again to all who reviewed! I am surprised and delighted by the amount of feedback I'm getting for this story, and it's always such a treat to find a new review in my inbox. I want to respond to all of those who commented on Draco's blushing (whether you found it cute, horribly out of character, or both) – I have no excuse for that other than my own tendency to blush at the slightest provocation, which I guess I projected onto both of those poor boys. I'll try not to overdo it in this chapter.

And in response to IssaLee, please don't throw out your Jarvey story! I would love to read it, and I do hope you'll let me know when it's finished.

So, on to chapter 6. The style is a bit different, but hopefully you'll still enjoy it. I felt as if Draco owed you some sort of explanation for his recent behavior. Review!

**Of Love and Creatures** **– Part 6**

By Neverbird

Draco walked back from detention in a daze, wondering what in Salazar's name had just happened. He couldn't shake the mental image of Harry leaning towards him, green eyes gleaming... And every time Draco thought of Harry's eyes, he felt the strangest sensation in the lower part of his body – it was like having to use the toilet, only curiously more pleasant. He didn't quite know what to make of it.

The last three hours of detention had passed like a dream. Draco could hardly believe it, but he and Potter… he and _Harry_ had managed to sustain something closely resembling a civilized conversation for the entire time. Tentatively, they had exchanged opinions on professional Quidditch, and recounted some of the most amusing Jarvey insults they'd heard over the past few days (though they'd had to spend a fair amount of time reassuring Leonardo that his were by far the cleverest). It was almost as if they were becoming friends…

But Draco wasn't sure that "friend" would ever be the right word to describe Harry. After all, he considered Greg and Vince to be his friends – and his feelings for Harry were decidedly different.

Draco had been strangely drawn to Harry ever since they first met at age eleven, but he hadn't quite known why or what to do about it. He had offered Harry his friendship in the only way he knew how, and he was so surprised and hurt when this offer was rejected that he convinced himself he hated the Gryffindor, and never wanted his friendship in the first place.

But, recently, something had changed, at least for Draco. Somewhere along the line, his routine arguments with Harry had begun to leave him feeling more aroused than angry, which unsettled him greatly. Even worse, he was rapidly becoming very interested in the length of Harry's eyelashes, and the way he rubbed his chin with the end of his quill when he was thinking... Draco decided it would be best to avoid Harry as thoroughly as possible until these unwelcome feelings subsided, but to his simultaneous excitement and dread, Hagrid went and assigned them to work together on the Jarvey project.

Though he might have been able to maintain his icy façade under normal circumstances, Draco knew that this project would be dangerous, given that it had taken Leonardo less than ten minutes to arrive at the phrase "sexual tension". He had returned to his dormitory that day, nervous and apprehensive, and he had immediately appealed to his mother to pull every string necessary for his exemption.

Almost as soon as he had done it, however, he had begun to question whether such drastic action was truly necessary. Friday morning, he had caught Harry staring at him at breakfast, and simply seeing him blush and look away was so gratifying to Draco that he felt empowered to handle anything. And though Draco had always detested creatures, there was something Slytherin-like about Leonardo that appealed to him. A peculiar combination of emotions had overtaken him as he had surreptitiously watched Harry interact with the Jarvey. Certainly, he was irritated by Leonardo's obvious preference for the Gryffindor, and jealous of Harry's natural ease with the creature. Harry had a gentleness about him when dealing with Leonardo that Draco found to be alarmingly attractive; this was, perhaps, the most worrisome thing of all.

Draco had intended to smugly announce his resignation from the project to Harry in Potions that morning, but for some reason, he simply couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, to his surprise as much as anyone else's, he had ended up doing just the opposite. Draco had immediately regretted claiming Leo as his own, not because he wasn't secretly thrilled by the prospect of detention with Harry, but because he could not think of any possible explanation for the gesture that wasn't completely mortifying. He chose not to give any explanation at all.

But today – Draco could hardly wrap his mind around it. From the moment he had walked into the dungeons, he had perceived that the air was charged with old magic. He had felt turned on every time Harry so much as looked at him, and exhilarated by their arguments. What thrilled Draco the most, however, was the fact that they had actually arrived at a sort of truce, after all these years. Being able to call Harry "Harry" was strangely exciting for him, and he almost couldn't believe he'd had the gumption to propose it.

Remarkably, he and Harry had become almost comfortable around each other by the end of the day. Draco smiled to himself as he recalled Professor Snape's look of utter bewilderment upon returning – whatever Snape had expected, it hadn't been to find Harry laughing heartily at Draco's imitation of Vince Crabbe rocking his Jarvey to sleep. And Snape had looked positively horrified when Harry had smiled at Draco, touching his arm lightly as he said goodnight. The little white hairs on Draco's arms were still standing on end, though nearly fifteen minutes had passed.

Draco was surprised to find himself already standing outside the entrance to the Slytherin dormitories, as there were five or six turns along the way that he couldn't remember taking. Taking a moment to collect himself, he took care to infuse his voice with the proper amount of haughty nonchalance required for drawling the password to the Old Man portrait. Sneering, the Old Man swung aside to give him access.

Hoping to slip quietly away to the sanctuary of his new private room, Draco was irritated to find Greg, Vince, Pansy, and Millicent lined up on the couch, waiting for him.

"Draco, you're back!" shrieked Pansy. "You have to help us! Greg's Jarvey is attacking Heloise; I don't know what to do! She bit me when I tried to save her. See!" Indeed, Pansy's stubby hand featured a row of nasty red bite marks, which were particularly noticeable when she waved it an inch away from Draco's face. "What do I _do_, Draco?" she wailed.

Draco looked reluctantly towards the floor, where the "attack" was taking place on top of a soft, green rug. "Oh, sweet Salazar," he thought, rolling his eyes. Draco was the first to admit he didn't know much about creatures, but he could certainly tell the difference between an assault and a good shag.

"It's ok, Pansy," Draco said, biting back his annoyance and patting her shoulder reassuringly. "I think Abelard and Heloise are just having a romantic liaison of sorts, no need to – what?"

Pansy was giving him the most curious look. "Draco, you touched my shoulder," she said.

"Oh. Sorry-," Draco started to reply, but Pansy cut him off.

"No, it's fine. But you never touch me. I don't think I've ever seen you touch anyone."

Draco knew she was right. Physical contact of any sort had always made him a bit uncomfortable – Malfoys, as a rule, shied away from it. But ever since Harry had touched his arm for that split second on his way out the door, Draco found himself craving more touch, more contact. It was almost as if he felt adrift without it.

"Did something _happen_ at your detention today?" Pansy asked slowly, still giving him that odd, probing look. She paused for a moment, sniffing the air. "And why are you wearing cologne?"

"I'm going to bed," said Draco, feeling a bit panicked. "Goodnight everyone," he said. Pansy frowned, but didn't say anything else. Breathing somewhat rapidly, Draco climbed the stairs to his blessedly private room, and slammed the door shut behind him.

* * *

Just a few notes before I leave you:

-I apologize for the lack of action in this chapter. I felt that I needed to address Draco's ambivalence about Harry and Leo, so his behavior would make a little more sense. Hopefully now you have a better idea of where Draco stands.

- Old magic in the potions dungeons? Draco thinks so, but it's just his raging hormones. It feels like there's magic sometimes, though, doesn't it? I miss being sixteen and having crushes like that.

-Neverbird


	7. Digits

So, about those increasingly long stretches of time between updates… I know it disrupts the flow of reading to have to wait so long, and I appreciate your patience. I never realized how hard it would be to find time to write while working full time.

Very quickly- in response to Lunadeath: I do remember the part in 6 about Pansy playing with Draco's hair, so Draco being touch-shy isn't entirely accurate, in that respect. However, since this story is AU after book 5, I decided to ignore that and many other details of book 6. I actually found that moment of the book to be a bit disconcerting, as I've always imagined Draco as having trouble getting physically close to people (also, it's _Pansy_ – ick!).

But have I mentioned yet how much I love you reviewers? You keep me on my toes!

In response to JadeLilyMalfoy: I don't think Snape is evil, and I'm gratified to hear that you don't either. :)

**Of Love and Creatures- Part 7**

By Neverbird

The next morning, the Gryffindors and Slytherins trudged unhappily through the snow to Hagrid's hut for another Care of Magical Creatures lesson. The cold air penetrated their robes and seemed to pierce all the way through to their bones. More than one Jarvey was being employed as a muff or a scarf against its will.

"We shouldn't even have to go," Lavender whispered mutinously to Parvati. "We've done nothing _but_ care for magical creatures over the last few days!" Parvati nodded fervently in reply.

Ron, who was sorry that Goyle's hands were the ones benefiting from Abelard's thick fur, had tried to talk Harry into letting him carry Leo – but Leo had very crudely told him _exactly_ where he could warm his hands; now, Ron and Hermione were both bright red and refusing to look at each other. Harry walked between them, looking slightly pregnant with Leo tucked under his robes.

"What do you reckon Hagrid will have us do today?" Ron asked as they neared the hut.

"Hmm?" murmured Harry distractedly. He squinted his eyes, scanning the gathered crowd of students for a certain blond head.

"Merlin's beard, Harry, what's with you? Ever since you got back from detention yesterday, it's like you've been Befuddled…" He and Hermione started to exchange a significant glance, but quickly turned away blushing, remembering Leo's earlier comment. Harry noticed none of this; he had spotted Draco standing over by Crabbe and Pansy, his face nearly as pale as the snow.

"All righ', that looks like all of yeh," Hagrid's voice boomed. "And that's six, seven, eight, nine, ten Jarveys – yep, yer all 'ere." He beamed, nodding his head approvingly. "I kin tell yeh've been takin' good care of em. Has it been goin' well so far?"

His inquiry was met with silence, even from the Jarveys. A couple of the Gryffindors shrugged noncommittally.

"Any of yeh learned anythin' yeh'd like teh share?" Anythin' at all?" Harry and Ron exchanged a weary glance; still, no one spoke. Hagrid's face fell. "Anyone?" he said, a bit desperately. "Hermione?"

Hermione blushed. "Erm… well… they certainly seem to derive pleasure from mating," she blurted, adding in a hysterical whisper to Harry, "I couldn't think of anything else!" Everyone laughed appreciatively, and Harry noticed Pansy Parkinson rolling her eyes and nodding.

"Er… that's righ', Hermione," said Hagrid, who seemed to have been expecting a different sort of answer. He rubbed his temples briefly. "Okay, then… anyone else?"

"I learned that Vince keeps a purple plush mooncalf under his bed that he cuddles with every night after everyone's asleep," volunteered Crabbe's Jarvey. Seamus, Lavender, and Parvati gave themselves over completely to giggles at this revelation; Crabbe himself looked both confused and betrayed.

"Thank yeh, Brutus. That'll be all," Hagrid said, his stern voice offset somewhat by the amused twinkle in his eyes. "I 'spect we best get started, then." Would yeh lot rather be out here, or inside my hut?"

Everyone agreed that an indoor lesson would be entirely more bearable, though the Jarveys expressed this preference in somewhat more colorful language than the students. Hagrid chuckled, opening the door to his hut and ushering them inside. "Make yerself at home," he said, restraining Fang, who was clearly ecstatic at the prospect of company.

Relieved to be out of the cold, the Gryffindors and Slytherins settled in somewhat awkwardly on the floor in front of the fireplace. Harry maneuvered to be near Draco, which turned out to be rather easy, given that Draco had, for some reason, decided to situate himself toward the Gryffindor side of the crowd. Harry glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, but Draco was staring straight ahead. Positioning Leo comfortably on his lap, Harry leaned back on his hands and stared into the fire.

After feeding the flames with two giant logs, Hagrid settled himself comfortably on a chair and faced the class; fifty-six eyes looked up at him expectantly (two of the Jarveys had eyes only for each other).

"Righ'. Where teh begin?" Hagrid rubbed his chin distractedly. "Okay. Well. I'm sure yeh've all noticed that yer Jarveys don' mind givin' yeh a good insult ever' once in awhile-,"

"Yeah, funny, I've noticed that," Ron quipped, rolling his eyes. Everyone laughed good-naturedly.

"Righ'," Hagrid said, smiling. "Well, what yeh may _not_ know is that the insults yer gettin' from yer Jarveys aren' quite like yer basic Jarvey insults from fifty years ago-,"

"I'm surprised it only took you fifty years to notice, dense as you are," commented one bored sounding Jarvey, who was stretched langoriously across Blaise Zabini's lap.

"Thank yeh for that perfect example, Sigmun'," Hagrid said, beaming, "Now, I'd like for yeh all to think about that insult for a momen' and tell me what yeh noticed about it." Draco yawned and shifted positions, leaning back on his hands. Hermione, on the other hand, leaned forward, her brow furrowed in concentration.

Dean Thomas raised his hand. "I noticed that it was somewhat rude and unkind," he observed.

"Yes, insults tend to be as such," murmured Blaise; a few of the Slytherins chuckled meanly.

"That's true, Dean," said Hagrid, nodding kindly. "But did anyone notice anythin' else? Don' think about the meaning of the words fer a moment, jus'-,"

Hermione raised her hand, a contemplative look on her face. "Blaise and Neville's Jarvey- Sigmund, right? Well, Sigmund and the other Jarveys have been delivering full-sentence insults. That's what you're getting at, isn't it, Hagrid?" She blinked. "Because I'm quite sure that Jarvey insults used to be much less sophisticated – I read about it in-,"

"That's righ'!" exclaimed Hagrid, nodding enthusiastically. "Jarvey insults are becomin' longer and smarter, and I'm givin' ten points teh Gryffindor fer Hermione bein' the first teh notice!" Hermione flushed happily. "An' now, that brings me to the second part of yer project..."

The students were unenthused to learn that they would now be required to take notes on their Jarveys' utterances; stumbling over his words a bit in his excitement, Hagrid began explaining a fairly elaborate process for coding the length and complexity of each insult, as well as guidelines for rating the insult's level of hostility. Harry might have found it interesting, but his focus was quickly shifted to something far more absorbing:

He had suddenly noticed that Draco's hand was resting barely two centimeters away from his own.

It felt as if something was dancing in the region just below Harry's stomach. He glanced at Draco, who was being unusually attentive to the lesson for someone who had always loathed Care of Magical Creatures. Harry wondered, bewilderedly, if Draco even realized how close his left hand was to Harry's right.

"Yeh don' have teh record ever' little thing yer Jarvey says," Hagrid was saying. "Jus' try to get down whether yeh got a full sentence, or a short phrase, or …,"

Staring resolutely at the fireplace, Harry tried not to blush as he inched his hand ever so slightly closer to Draco's. The Slytherin, to his aching disappointment, gave no indication of having noticed whatsoever.

"And then we'll have a look at what yeh've found, an' compare it teh the data from fifty years ago…,"

But then, Harry felt something trace its way softly up the side of his hand. Inhaling sharply, he turned around just in time to see Draco's pinky finger slide over the tip of his own and back down onto the floor. Draco's eyes remained determinedly fixed upon Hagrid, but the slightest of smiles played at the corner of his lips. This was all too much for certain parts of Harry's anatomy to take lying down, and he was simultaneously grateful and horrified that Leo was still sitting in his lap.

"…and once yeh can see fer yerselves how Jarveys 'ave been changin', yeh'll be able teh write yer essays!" Everyone groaned, Draco among the loudest.

Draco was actually listening to the lecture! Harry's mind raced. Was it possible to stroke someone's hand accidentally? He didn't think so, but… Then, did Draco expect him to simply ignore the touch? Was he supposed to touch back?

Ever so slowly, Harry slid his pinky finger across the floor, and gently hooked it around Draco's.

Draco's blond eyebrows shot up in surprise, and a flush crept across his cheeks. He glanced sideways at Harry, who glanced shyly back. Finally, tentatively, Draco smiled. Harry exhaled slowly, not realizing until that moment that he had been holding his breath.

"And that's all fer today – yer all free to leave a bit early. I'll see yeh Thursday, then, an' don' ferget about the new part of yer projects!"

Everyone stood up all at once, collecting their books and trading off their Jarveys. Harry and Draco hastily unhooked their fingers and pulled themselves off the floor, waking Leo up in the process. Leo looked from Draco's red cheeks to Harry's, and scowled. "Bloody teenagers with their bloody hormones," he grumbled. "I'm going back to sleep."

"He's always such a lovely, agreeable creature," said Harry, grinning. "Too bad I have to hand him over to you for the night, particularly when he's in such a pleasant mood."

"Oh, he's just impossibly charming," Draco replied, collecting Leo into his arms and smirking at Harry. "Aren't you, Leonardo?" Leo snored loudly in response.

"Harry, are you coming?" Harry looked up, startled to find Ron standing in the doorway of the hut, a bemused expression on his face. Hermione, several paces ahead of him, shook her head and sighed, "Oh, Ron…"

"Yeah… hold on," Harry said reluctantly. He turned to Draco. "So, um, you'll give him back to me tomorrow, I guess. In Potions. Right. Bye, then." Harry opened his mouth to say something further, but seemed to decide against it, turning abruptly around to follow Ron and Hermione back to the castle.

Draco watched him go, smiling to himself and hugging Leo closer to his chest. It had truly been a fascinating Care of Magical Creatures lesson, he reflected. Perhaps the class wasn't so worthless after all.

* * *

And… I torture you by drawing it out even further. Stay tuned for the next installment, in which Draco makes a very rewarding mistake.


	8. Closeted

At risk of repeating myself, I just want to thank all of you reviewers again. It's fun that this story is kind of interactive, in the sense that certain reviews open my eyes to different possibilities for future chapters (though I've had the general plot mapped out pretty thoroughly since chapter 1).

Maybe I'll make it even more interactive. Anyone up for a contest? At the end of the last chapter, I'll give five of your favorite Jarveys away to the authors of the five best Jarvey-style insults (to be included in your review... after much praise and flattery of the chapter, of course). Feel free to direct those insults at me, Leo, Draco, Harry, etc. We can take it. Bring it on, bitches.

**Of Love and Creatures – Chapter 8**

By Neverbird

Draco floated through History of Magic and Herbology before returning to his dormitory, giddy and restless. His friends, scattered about the common room, greeted him heartily, but he barely acknowledged them.

"He's just not all there, that one," Draco heard Millicent's Jarvey murmur contemptuously.

"Too right, Aida." Millicent didn't seem remotely bothered that Draco was within earshot. "Lately, I wonder if he hasn't been possessed by a Muggle."

Draco's nostrils flared briefly, but he couldn't be bothered to turn around and scowl at the pair of them; wordlessly, he continued past them, up the stairs, and to his room. Once he was sure the door was closed all the way behind him, he set Leo's pyramidal cage on the floor and released its prisoner with a click of the latch. Leo shot out of his cage like a Bludger, deliberately knocking it forcefully on its side.

"Careful, Leonardo," Draco said, settling in cross-legged on his bed with catlike grace. "Remember what I told you about respecting the cage."

"I respect the cage like I respect YOUR MOM," Leo retorted, crudely mounting and thrusting to demonstrate his approximate level of respect for Narcissa Malfoy.

Draco smirked. "Come now, Leonardo. I'm supposed to be rating your insults for sophistication, and I'm afraid I can't give you more than a four out of ten for that weak effort. _Accio_ insult rating chart."

Leo grunted unhappily and retreated to his personalized silk hammock in the corner of the room.

"Well, perhaps I'll bump it up to a five, since I'm such a lovely and generous person. But really, Leonardo, I'm sure you can do better." Draco rolled up the chart and set it aside with a smirk. "And kindly stop snoring – I know you're not really asleep."

"I am, indeed, asleep," Leo replied coolly. "And I'm dreaming of how peaceful it will be when you leave for your Quidditch practice tonight."

"Interesting. I can't imagine why you think it will be peaceful, seeing as you'll be staying with Pansy, but-,"

"Like HELL I'll be staying with Pansy!" Leo was so distressed he fell out of his hammock and into his crystal water bowl with a heavy splash. He shook the water out of his hair, spraying too much of it on Draco for it to be an accident. "Didn't you see what that pug-faced demon-girl did to Heloise? Do you want _me_ to scuttle around with pink nail polish on my claws as well?"

Draco shuddered. "Tell me she didn't."

"Oh, she most certainly did," Leo declared solemnly. "Electric magenta."

"Merlin's beard, Leonardo, I'm glad you told me." Draco shook his head. "Perhaps I _will_ just let you stay here…"

"I'm counting on that," a mollified Leo replied.

Draco smiled slightly and leaned against the wall; Leo climbed gingerly into his lap, his damp fur leaving a cold, wet spot on his robes. Draco absently began rubbing Leo's belly with his right hand, his thoughts drifting to the Care of Magical Creatures lesson that morning. Slowly, he lifted his left hand and studied it carefully, spreading and closing his fingers as if he was testing them out for the first time. It wasn't as though his hand had changed, he reflected, but its recent proximity to Harry's hand made it quite fascinating by association.

Draco didn't realize he had stopped rubbing Leo's belly until the Jarvey nipped him irritably on the pinky. "Stop mooning over that hand like it's your lover," Leo snapped, "Though, admittedly, your own hand is probably the only thing that will ever even go near your -,"

"OKAY, Leonardo, I get it," Draco said, rolling his eyes. "Very clever. Seven out of ten. _Accio_ -,"

"Enough with the ratings!" Leo grumbled, glaring up at him. "You're cramping my style. _Harry_ would never - ,"

"Maybe _Harry-_," Draco blushed,"isn't as dedicated to his schoolwork as I am. You'll find, Leonardo, that I am nothing if not thorough with my assignments."

"I'll find that you're nothing but a giant ponce, rather." Leo's tail twitched mischievously.

"My sexuality is NONE of your bloody business, thanks."

"Your sexuality isn't exactly a _secret_, hate to break it to you-."

"I'm going to Quidditch now," Draco announced very loudly. He stood up suddenly, sending Leo rolling down the custom-made Jarvey ramp he'd had installed next to his bed. "You'd better be positively angelic in my absence. If I come back and one single item in this room is out of place, you're not getting _one scrap_ of filet mignon tonight."

Leo blinked at him. "Draco… did you piss yourself?"

Draco scowled and performed a quick drying spell on the front of his robes, where the water from Leo's fur had soaked through. "Wretched little ferret," he muttered under his breath as he left hastily to round up Greg and Vince for practice.

* * *

It took Draco precisely five seconds, upon returning from his post-Quidditch shower, to realize that something was amiss:

The door to his bedroom was ever so slightly open … but how? He could have sworn he'd closed it. He was always so careful about closing it!

Draco slowly pushed the door all the way open, and stepped into his room.

"Leonardo?" he called tentatively. There was no reply. He walked slowly around his room, peeking into corners and crevices. Lying flat on his stomach, he groped around underneath his bed. "Leonardo?" he murmured again, a hint of desperation creeping into his voice. "_Leo_?"

The silence was excruciating. "Okay, Leonardo, very funny." He waited a beat. "It's really a shame you're so stubborn. Here I was all set to give you steak and another belly rub." For one pregnant moment, he waited to see if the Jarvey would emerge to collect this coveted reward; it soon became clear, however, that the only movement in the entire room was his own chest, rising and falling increasingly fast as utter panic set in.

"I can't believe this... I bloody well cannot believe this," he muttered, swearing passionately. He sunk down onto his bed, burying his face in his hands.

_Harry's going to _kill_ me._

He allowed himself a moment or two of unmitigated self-pity, before forcing himself to come up with some sort of plan. "Okay, Draco, THINK," he told himself sternly, squeezing his eyes shut in concentration.

All he could think about, however, was Harry. _Harry's going to kill me. Harry's going to hate me. Harry's going to _HATE _me. Harry's never going to forgive me. Harry's never even going to be able to look at me again. Harry's-_." Suddenly, he lifted his head with a jolt. "Harry's dormitory!" Draco practically shouted. _That bloody creature's run off to Gryffindor Tower. Of course!_

Draco leapt off of his bed (and quickly sprayed cologne in a few strategic places), soared down the steps, and flew through the common room. Diving out of the portrait hole, he skidded down the hallway, the Old Man grumbling irritably at his back.

* * *

He made it exactly ten meters before he realized he had no earthly clue where they'd hidden Gryffindor Tower.

Draco furiously punched the wall, and proceeded to traumatize a passing group of first years with a particularly drawn-out stream of obscenities. _How the bloody hell am I going to find bloody Gryffindor Tower? _his mind roared. He couldn't exactly stop a Gryffindor in the corridors and ask for directions - he'd be hexed so thoroughly that his own mother wouldn't recognize him.

Not that there was any hope of running into one of Harry's dormmates in the corridors, anyhow, at that this time of night. As late as it was, there simply wasn't anywhere to go, apart from the Quidditch pitch and the library. Well, he knew the Gryffindors wouldn't be coming back from Quidditch, because his own team had reserved the pitch tonight - and what sort of swot would still be haunting the library at this hour?

Suddenly, it occured to him exactly was sort of swot he might encounter now in the library; and, considering that this particular swot had been shooting him curious and amused glances lately, rather than hostile ones, there was even the slightest chance that she didn't detest him.

Though it was at the exact opposite end of the castle, it took Draco approximately two minutes to arrive at the library.

As he'd counted on, Hermione Granger had planted herself in the corner with a pile of textbooks, and was feverishly taking notes on a sheet of parchment. Her Jarvey was stretched lazily across the top of an open book. Draco noticed that the rumored pink nail polish had been removed from her claws, and he respected Granger for it.

Right away, she seemed to perceive that someone was watching her; her head snapped up and turned to the door. A flicker of surprise registered on her features, but Draco was heartened by the fact that she didn't look particularly horrified to hee him.

"Granger, I need your help."

"Oh?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"I need you to show me how to get to your dormitory."

The Jarvey laughed rudely, but Hermione looked thoughtful. "My dormitory?" She cocked her head to one side. "Why on earth would you want - oh, hush, Heloise - what do you need that's in Gryffindor Tower?"

Draco frowned. "Let's just say I've lost something, and I have reason to believe that it's there..."

Hermione's hand flew suddenly to her mouth. "You've lost Leo!"

Draco blushed. "Just temporarily," he muttered. "Because I know he must have gone to Gryffindor Tower."

"Merlin's beard, I hope so," said Hermione, already beginning to pack up her books. "For your sake. Harry loves that creaturelike he loves Hedwig..."

Draco's eyes flashed jealously. "Hedwig who?"

"Harry's girlfriend." Hermione bit back a smile at Draco's horrified expression. "Malfoy, I'm kidding. Hedwig's his _owl_."

"Oh," said Draco.

"All right, come on. I'll take you to Gryffindor Tower." Hermione shook her head, smiling slightly to herself.

* * *

Draco followed Hermione through the portrait hole, and was relieved to find that the Gryffindor common room was deserted, apart from Harry and the Weasel, who were engrossed in a game of chess. Harry's back was to the portrait hole, but Ron's jaw dropped when he saw Draco. A pawn's stubby legs kicked helplessly out the bottom of his fist.

Harry turned around. "Draco?" he asked, smiling. "What are you doing here?"

Just then, Heloise wriggled forcefully out of Hermione's arms. Abelard wasted no time in leaping off of Ron's lap to join her in front of the fireplace. "Oh Merlin's beard," muttered Hermione. "Do those two ever stop?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Yeah, it's like, all right, we get it. You fancy each other. Bloody sex-crazed Jarveys."

"Just your two Jarveys, really. Leo doesn't seem too bothered." Harry said pleasantly. "Speaking of whom, where is he, Draco?"

Draco swallowed laboriously. "Erm... well... I assumed he'd be here."

Harry's smile disappeared. "What?"

"I'll take that to mean he's _not _here, then."

"No...," Harry said slowly. "You took him tonight, remember?"

"Well," said Draco, steeling himself, "He's run off."

Harry gave a biting laugh. "_What_?" he repeated.

"He's up and run away. I'm sorry, Harry. I came back from Quidditch and he was gone."

"You mean you didn't have someone watch him?" Harry's eyes flashed.

Draco winced. "I thought he'd be fine... I have my own room... it's not as if there's anyone going in and out."

Harry's voice was chillingly calm. "Perhaps you forgot to shut the door, then?"

"I couldn't have done! " protested Draco. "He must have opened it himself."

"He's a creature, Draco."

"He's a magical creature!"

"Yeah, well he doesn't have the _magic_ of opposable thumbs, does he? Don't deny it! You forgot to shut the bloody door."

"Well, maybe...,"

Harry stood up suddenly, knocking over the few of Ron's chess pieces he'd managed to capture. "I cannot bloody well believe this, _Malfoy_. I don't know what to say."

Ron and Hermione exchanged an anxious glance.

"Harry, I don't know what to say either. I'm sorry, okay? I don't want this to ruin- ." He cut himself off, blushing.

"Yeah, well." Harry closed his eyes, momentarily, and took a deep breath. "I don't want to argue. Let's just find him, okay?"

"Yes! Okay," said Draco, visibly relieved.

Harry sighed, and ran to fetch his map and cloak.

* * *

Ron and Hermione watched them go, not daring to speak until they heard the Fat Lady swing back into place.

"Blimey, that's not good," said Ron. "Leo could be anywhere."

Hermione shrugged. "Oh, they'll find him. Harry's got the Marauders' Map, remember." She smiled suddenly. "You know, I wonder if this won't turn out to be a good thing for them."

"What do you mean?" Ron asked crossly.

Hermione giggled. "Oh, Ron," she sighed happily, and settled in cross-legged on the couch in front of the fireplace.

Ron sunk down into the cushions beside her. They both watched the fire, trying not to stare as their Jarveys continued to ravish each other. "I guess we should camp out here til they're spent," he said after a moment.

"I guess so," Hermione replied. She scooted a bit closer to Ron on the couch. Ron's eyes widened, and his ears turned pink. He glanced sideways at her and took a deep breath.

Slowly, he slid his hand along the back of the couch behind her.

Hermione turned to him and smiled, and leaned back into his arm. Ron let his hand curve around her shoulder, and she snuggled up closer against him. "This is nice," she said shyly, looking up at him.

Ron grinned. "Yeah, I reckon it is." They continued to look at each other, blushing furiously.

Suddenly, Abelard and Heloise pounced into their respective laps.

"Oh Merlin's beard, will you two ever get on with the snogging?" whined Heloise.

Abelard shot Ron a mischievous look. "Yeah, it's like, we got it. You fancy each other."

"Bloody innocent teenagers," muttered Heloise.

Ron looked dumbly down at Abelard, and back up at Hermione. He licked his lips nervously. Hermione smiled and tilted her head upward. "They do have a point...," she whispered, as the small space between her lips and Ron's disappeared.

"Okay, we'd better leave them alone," murmured Heloise, wriggling out of Hermione's lap in the nick of time. "I think they'll bite us if we try to separate them."

* * *

"Okay. According to this, he's in the side corridor off the west wing - though I can't quite tell what room that is...," Harry frowned, and peered closely at the Marauders' Map. "Anyway, it looks like we should make a left after the portrait of Deirdre the Disgruntled."

Draco looked appreciatively at the map. "Sweet Salazar, Harry, you own some _useful_ toys, don't you?"

"Yes, well. They've come in handy, anyway," Harry grudgingly admitted. He was determined not to forgive Draco too quickly for his carelessness, out of loyalty to Leo. But Harry knew his resolve was weakening as they continued down the corridors together in very close proximity, as necessitated by the invisibility cloak. _It would be easier to hate him if he wasn't wearing that bloody cologne,_ Harry thought irritably, as they made their way up a twisting flight of stairs.

"I _am_ sorry," Draco said for the fifth or sixth time that evening.

Harry sighed. "It's okay, Draco. We'll just follow the map and find him, and pretend it never happened."

"Stop being so understanding. It's making me feel even guiltier," Draco said crossly. Harry withheld a laugh, with difficulty. They continued down several winding corridors, their two dots rapidly approaching Leo's on the map.

"Okay," Harry said finally, when they had reached a corridor with at least forty different doors on either side. "He's in one of these on the right, and - wait, do you hear that?"

"I do - do you suppose it's Leonardo?" Draco held his breath and listened carefully, trying to locate the direction from which the noise had travelled.

"Must be," Harry replied, "Unless..." He looked down at the map, and gave a sudden little yelp. Before Draco realized what was going on, Harry had grabbed his hand and yanked him through the nearest door. It seemed as though they were now inside a very small, very cluttered broomcloset.

"Who's out there?" Draco whispered.

"Mrs. Norris. And I've never quite worked out whether or not she can see through invisibility cloaks."

"I wouldn't want to find out," Draco murmured. "Merlin's beard..."

Harry realized, all of the sudden, that he was still gripping Draco's hand. Blushing, he began to pull away, but then Draco caught his fingertips, and squeezed them ever so softly.

Harry stopped moving. He nearly stopped breathing.

"Do you hate me?" Draco whispered.

Harry shook his head slowly, before realizing that Draco couldn't see him in the heavy darkness. "No," he whispered.

Draco probed through the darkness until his hand found Harry's face. "Do you want this?" he asked, letting his hand cup Harry's cheek.

Harry swallowed. "Yes."

"Okay," whispered Draco. And before Harry could process what was happening, a smooth pair of lips touched his own. Harry's eyes slid shut. Tentatively, they kissed, and Harry felt as if the world had suddenly come into focus. All that mattered was the soft pressure of Draco's lips, and the ache in his lower body. How had they ended up as enemies? Harry couldn't remember. The kiss deepened, and somehow Harry's hands ended up in Draco's soft hair. A broom got knocked off balance and clattered against the wall, but Harry hardly noticed; Mrs. Norris was the furthest thing from his mind. He felt so deliriously happy that, for a moment, he worried he's accidentally conjure a patronus. This was _nothing_ like kissing Cho Chang.

Eventually, they broke apart for air, and simply leaned against each other, grinning in the darkness. "That was... _long_ overdue," sighed Draco.

Harry laughed softly. "I thought Leo was nutters when he said there was sexual tension between us. Guess I should have listened to him."

"You bloody well SHOULD have listened to Leo," a jolly voice roared from the back corner of the closet. "Seeing as he's the most brilliant and intuitive Jarvey you know."

"_Leo?_" exclaimed Harry and Draco simultaneously. "How long have you _been_ here?" asked Harry.

"Oh, I saw the whole show," Leo assured them. "I would have said something, but I was too busy trying not to vomit." He walked lazily towards them and settled in comfortably across both their laps.

"Six out of ten, Leonardo, and that's only because I'm in a fantastic mood, for some reason."

"Do shut up, Draco" Leo said with a yawn. "But keep rubbing my belly."

* * *

Well, that certainly took some time, and I apologize for that. I felt I owed you a bit of extra effort, as I've been building up to this moment for quite awhile. I really hope it lived up to your expectations.

-Neverbird


	9. Disclosures

Remember me? Oops. Been awhile, huh.

Well, thank you for your patience, and for all of your lovely reviews. Actually, one particular question came up several times, and I'd like to clarify that issue before we proceed – many of you seem to be wondering (quite naturally) why Leo ran off. I'm afraid my answer is going to bore you, but… he didn't have much of a reason. He wasn't mad at Draco, although they certainly have a love-hate relationship. He definitely wasn't trying to get Harry and Draco together (EW! They're, like, his parents!). Basically, Draco left the door open, and Leo saw an opportunity. Jarveys just aren't very well behaved. Remember back in chapter 1, how Hagrid warned the kids to keep an eye on their Jarveys at all times? Whoops, Draco.

I'd also like to reply to my constructive criticism from Saber ShadowKitten. Upon rereading that last chapter, I realized that you are so absolutely right. Frighteningly enough, my Jarveys are turning into people (_Hairy_ Sues? Har har). Way to pick up on it, SSK, and I'll definitely try to watch for that in the future.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this next chapter… and way to totally blow off my awesome contest, y'all! I guess you don't _really _want Jarveys, huh. Or maybe you just don't find insulting people to be quite as rewarding as I do.

Perhaps I'll change the rules, and give five Jarveys away to the authors of my five _favorite_ reviews instead. So make them good. :)

**Of Love and Creatures – Chapter 9**

By Neverbird

Harry and Draco became suddenly shy of each other as they stepped out of the closet.

"So… goodnight, I guess," Draco said uncertainly, idly patting Leo's head. "I'll see you tomorrow, then. In Potions."

"Right, Potions." Harry struggled to keep his voice neutral.

"And I'll return the furball to you then."

"I'm counting the minutes," remarked Leo, smiling sweetly up at Draco.

"Oh, how precious," drawled Draco. "The little ferret thinks he can count. Anyway," he smiled slightly, "Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight, then." Harry looked dazed for a moment, and he unconsciously let two fingers rest upon his slightly swollen lower lip. "But… wait, Draco!" His eyes snapped suddenly back into focus.

Draco blushed slightly. "Yes?"

"How will you get back without being seen? You should take my invisibility cloak."

Draco shook his head. "Don't you need it?"

"I'll be fine," Harry assured him. "No, really, I'll be fine! I've got the map. I'll know when someone's coming."

"You don't have to do that, Harry."

"Of course I don't." He grinned. "But I won't take no for an answer. You can give it back to me in Potions." Before the Slytherin could protest, Harry spread out the cloak and let it fall over the Draco's head and body.

"Thanks, Harry," Draco said, quite tenderly. Harry had to fight the urge not to lift the cloak from his head, so strong was his desire to see Draco's expression at that moment. "Well… goodnight."

"Why don't you say goodnight to him a fourth time, Draco?" Leo's voice, though disembodied, was as saucy as ever.

"Maybe I will. _Goodnight_, Harry."

"Goodnight, Draco." Harry smiled to himself. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

Though Draco was perfectly silent, his dot on the map lingered for a moment near Harry's, before slipping quietly away.

* * *

As Harry approached Gryffindor Tower, the question of what on earth he would tell Ron and Hermione loomed prominently in his mind. _Hey Ron, guess what - it turns out, Malfoy's a brilliant kisser. _Too blunt, perhaps. Or - _Merlin, do my legs hurt from spending so long in that cramped little broomcloset with Draco!_ Harry grimaced, all too aware of the uncomfortably revealing second meaning of that particular choice of wording.

Bloody hell. This was not going to be easy.

Perhaps he could get away with simply not mentioning it, Harry thought, as he slowly continued through the corridors. If he could just get his breathing back to normal, there was no reason Ron and Hermione had to know that Leo's rescue mission had taken a slight turn for the romantic. But even as he contemplated this idea, Harry knew the situation was hopeless. He was rubbish at concealing his thoughts – no wonder he'd never really gotten anywhere with occlumency. Not to mention that Hermione happened to be an uncommonly, inconveniently perceptive witch. It certainly hadn't taken her very long to deduce what had happened that night after the D.A. meeting with Cho.

Harry sighed, knowing he was doomed.

All too quickly, he arrived at the Fat Lady, who was fast asleep. "Toil and trouble," he whispered. The Fat Lady snored loudly, not opening her eyes. Harry repeated the password a notch louder, startling her awake. "Yes, of course, dear," she murmured, swinging aside, too disoriented to be annoyed. Harry thanked her and slipped through, allowing himself one last desperate hope that Ron and Hermione would already be asleep.

He wasn't so lucky, of course. They were curled up together on an armchair that faced the door, waiting for him. Abelard and Heloise were sound asleep on the armrest.

"Hi," greeted Harry tentatively. He noticed that they were holding hands. _Huh! _he thought.

"Hi, Harry. Back rather late, aren't you?" Hermione's eyes were twinkling, and she was giving him the most curious look.

Harry rubbed his eyes, mostly to have an excuse to avoid her gaze. "I guess so…"

"But you found him, right?" asked Ron.

"Leo? Yeah, he was in a broomcloset -." Harry cut himself off, suddenly, blushing.

Hermione untangled herself somewhat from Ron and sat up straighter. "Harry, why don't you come sit on the couch, and you can tell us about your night."

Harry was just about to fake a yawn and beg out of this conversation, when it occurred to him that maybe he did want to talk about this. _And_ _why shouldn't I?_ he thought, stretching out along the couch nearest to his friends. Hadn't he just had the best snog of his life? Granted, it was just the best out of two, but certainly it counted for something.

Harry ventured a glance over at Ron and Hermione, who were watching him expectantly. He blushed – and slowly, almost against his will, he felt his face break into a grin.

"So you and Mal- Draco managed not to kill each other," Hermione prompted.

Harry shut his eyes, and allowed himself to revisit briefly the soft texture of Draco's lips. "Yeah, we managed," he replied. His eyes drifted back open.

Hermione studied him closely, and Harry could perceive that she was choosing her next words with great care.

Harry decided to put her out of her misery. "Yes, okay. We kissed. In a broomcloset." He rubbed his temple momentarily. "'I kissed Draco Malfoy."

He blushed deeply. He had meant for his tone of voice to reflect bored nonchalance - but somehow he had managed to sound bewildered, even amazed.

Ron shot up straight in his chair. "You did WHAT?"

"Oh, Harry, I knew it!" beamed Hermione.

Ron's wide eyes snapped back to stare at her. "You KNEW about it?"

"Oh, Ron, how could you miss it?" She sighed happily. "They were holding hands all through Care of Magical Creatures yesterday!"

"No they weren't," Ron said crossly.

Harry blushed to his ears. "You saw that?" He buried his face in a pillow and moaned, "I reckon anyone could have seen it, then!"

"Harry, I wouldn't worry. I was sitting right behind you, and anyway -," she looked pointedly at Ron, "most people don't _notice_ things." She squeezed Ron's hand lightly, before extricating herself completely from his arms, and sliding out of the chair. "Mind if I sit, Harry?"

Harry didn't reply, but drew himself up into a sitting position to make room for her. He hugged the couch pillow tightly, not meeting her eyes.

"Harry, please don't be embarrassed." Slowly, she pried the couch pillow out of his hands, and laced her fingers through his. "This is a _good_ thing. And we're happy for you."

Harry couldn't help but shoot a skeptical glance in Ron's direction; maybe _Hermione_ was happy for him, but Ron?

Ron was staring at him unabashedly, the same baffled expression still cast across his features. "So," he murmured finally. "So, you're… gay, then?"

"Gay?" Harry shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I am. I mean…"

"You don't have to label yourself," Hermione said kindly.

Harry cocked his head to one side. "No, it's okay," he said decidedly. "I shouldn't shy away from it. Yes, Ron, I'm gay. Or bisexual, I don't know. But I like guys." He looked at Ron almost defiantly. "I like Draco."

Ron spent a moment processing this information. "When did you… realize you were, you know… gay?" he asked finally.

"Well, Ron. It was right about the time I met you, actually." Harry smiled slightly.

Ron's eyebrows shot up momentarily, but he visibly relaxed when he saw Harry's expression. "You're kidding."

"Yes, Ron. I'm kidding." He looked thoughtful. "You know, I'm not sure when it first occurred to me that I might be... I mean, I don't know if I've ever really fancied a bloke until Draco." He stared blankly for a moment at the two sleeping Jarveys. "I guess I sort of noticed that Oliver Wood wasn't awful looking." Hermione nodded enthusiastically, until she was cut short by the look on Ron's face.

"Wood!" Ron looked horrified. "What a cliché!"

"Well, I sincerely apologize for my lack of creativity." Harry smiled despite himself. "Anyway, you'll be pleased to know that I fancy Draco about five million times as much as I ever fancied Wood."

Ron's eye twitched. "Malfoy, then - good Godric, am I pleased!" he exclaimed, somewhat hysterically.

Harry laughed inwardly. All in all, Ron was taking the news fairly well, he decided.

* * *

"Well, this is very cozy," Hermione said, after several minutes had passed.

"Yeah," agreed Harry. "Though maybe we should try to get some sleep. It's nearly four in the morning, and we have classes tomorrow."

"I'm too happy to sleep," said Hermione, glancing at Ron and blushing. Ron lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Yeah," murmured Harry. "I know what you mean…" He let his voice drift off, and soon the only sound was the rhythmic breathing of the two Jarveys, perfectly in sync with each other. Harry couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so content.

"Hey guys?" he said quietly, after a moment.

"Yes?"

"Thanks for not freaking out." He looked at Ron and smiled.

"Yeah, well," Ron sighed. With a great yawn, he stretched, and pulled his body off the chair. "Scoot over, Harry. If this is going to be one of those sappy best friends moments, we may as well do it properly." He plopped down next to Harry on the couch and placed his feet in his lap.

"Ron… that's disgusting."

"Yup. Gross but sweet." He wiggled his long toes. Hermione and Harry exchanged a look.

Ron yawned again, and leaned back against the couch's armrest. "So, I'm really going to have to start getting used to Malfoy?"

"Looks that way," said Harry. He smiled, letting his thoughts wander back toward that uniquely fascinating topic.

Hermione let her head rest on Harry's shoulder. Finally, without even trying, they drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Yes, I'm a total sucker for those sappy best friends moments.

Anyway, I know you're probably thinking, "Wow, Ron was _mighty_ quick to warm up to the idea of Harry and Draco…way to make it totally out of character, Neverbird." And maybe you're right – but also remember that Ron has been waiting to make out with Hermione for at least two years, so he's probably in a pretty generous mood right now. I, for one, commend Harry on his timing.

And I commend him on his taste in men.

-Neverbird


	10. Potions Pandemonium

I have to say, some of you really know how to review. Seriously, y'all are wonderful. Heloise is going to have to have babies, just so I can give out more Jarveys at the end. I am so flattered by all of your kind words, and I only hope this story continues to entertain you.

And since there's no point in pretending there won't be a bit of a lag before my next update, might I recommend another story to check out while you're waiting? XO'MagickMoon'OX seems to think her stories "may suck", and in this, she is entirely mistaken. Harry/Draco fans, go read "Move Along, Mr. Malfoy", and make sure to review and let her know how awesome you think it is.

Um… it's occurred to me that I should probably still be including a disclaimer. Ahem: _Not mine._

**Of Love and Creatures- Chapter 10**

By Neverbird

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were awoken the next morning by a guttural growl, two yelps, and a stampede of tiny paws tearing across their laps.

"Wha…a..?" mumbled Ron, opening one eye.

Hermione was fully awake in an instant. "No! Bad Crookshanks!" she exclaimed. "Harry, Ron – grab him before he -," she gasped. "Crookshanks, _no_!" She dove for the ginger cat and caught him around the middle, dragging him back towards her on the carpet. Ron and Harry remained catatonic on the couch.

Clutching Crookshanks tightly to her chest, Hermione peered underneath the couch. "You Jarveys all right down there?"

"We were until you shoved your nappy HEAD in our faces."

Hermione smiled wryly. "Looks like they're fine. All thanks to your great efforts, I'm sure, guys." She regarded the two lumps on the couch with affectionate disdain.

Ron looked bewildered. "Um… you're welcome?" he said. Harry yawned.

Hermione rolled her eyes, but she was nevertheless smiling. "You're both impossible," she said. She carried the reluctant Crookshanks over to the couch, where Harry and Ron stared up at her with heavy lidded eyes. She nudged Harry gently with her foot. "We have class today, remember, which means you two need to. Wake. Up."

Then, she bent down and kissed Ron squarely on the mouth.

Ron took a moment to respond, but as soon as he did, she forced herself to pull away. "Okay," she said brightly. "I'm off to shower and get ready. You should get a move on, or you'll miss breakfast."

"Wow…" Ron's eyes came into focus as he watched her leave without a backwards glance. "She is _quite _the alarm clock."

* * *

Harry was a pile of nerves all through his morning classes - he simply couldn't focus on anything but the prospect of seeing Draco again that afternoon in Potions.

Transfiguration was a nightmare. While he certainly hadn't been the only Gryffindor to have trouble turning his lizard into a wristwatch, Harry had barely gotten his to turn silver- though it ticked off the seconds nicely. And he couldn't even bring himself to chuckle when Dean Thomas used his fingers to pantomime a fleeing Captain Hook: "Smee! Smee, he's coming for the rest of me!"

He felt as if he was a million miles away from the classroom. Far too preoccupied to notice Hermione sidling up to him, he nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Harry, are you sure you're okay?" she asked, her eyes wide with concern.

"Yeah… just a bit hungry, I guess." Harry replied distractedly. "Wish I'd made it to breakfast…" Which was the closest he could bring himself to expressing his aching disappointment that he had missed his one opportunity to catch a glimpse of Draco that morning. As it was, he wouldn't get to see him for another agonizing two hours.

He tried hard not to dwell on it, and instead watched with detached interest as Neville attempted to coax his Jarvey into releasing Seamus' lizard from his jaws (though, unfortunately, Sigmund's id couldn't be reasoned with).

Charms wasn't much better. The day's project – a neat charm for multiplying food- was a fairly simple one, but the Jarveys were managing to devour all evidence of success faster than the students could present it to Flitwick. "I can't imagine why you're all having so much trouble with this," he squeaked. "Great wizards have had no trouble conjuring five thousand loaves of bread from less than what you started with!"

"I bet those so-called great wizards didn't have a load of hungry ferrets to reckon with." Ron muttered grumpily.

Harry sighed, and nibbled on a piece of bread he'd practically had to yank from Heloise's mouth. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined a day when he'd be wishing Charms would end so he could move on to Potions - and yet, here he was, nearly pining for the chill of the dungeons, Snape's greasy head…

Everything just felt so uncertain, all of the sudden. Harry wasn't sure how this churning mix of excitement, dread, and confusion had managed to grip him so powerfully overnight. He had gone to sleep last night perfectly content, giddy with the conviction that his most forbidden wish was coming true at last… But here in the relative normalcy of Charms class, last night seemed as vague and intangible as a dream. He needed to see Draco's face, to confirm that it was all real - that it had indeed been him, and not some other Harry, running his fingers through that silky blond hair.

Charms ended a few minutes late that day, as it often did when the lesson was particularly chaotic. Ron groaned, rubbing his growling belly. On the best of days, Harry, Ron, and Hermione barely had time to run to the Great Hall for even the lightest of lunches – it was a sacrifice they had made when they had decided to take heavier than average course loads. Unfortunately, on days like today, even a momentary detour to the Great Hall was out of the question - but Hermione, thinking quickly, grabbed a sandwich from under Abelard's nose, and expertly multiplied it into three for them to eat on the way to Potions. "Beautifully done, Miss Granger!" Flitwick called after them excitedly. "That's ten points for Gryffindor!"

* * *

Harry, stomach churning with anxious excitement, forced down as much of the sandwich as he could, before donating the rest to Abelard and Heloise. "Hey, I would have eaten that!" whined Ron, who had demolished his own sandwich in less than a minute.

"Maybe he thinks you're getting fat," Heloise suggested matter-of-factly, a piece of turkey dangling from her mouth. Hermione laughed, and poked Ron in the stomach.

They were among the first to arrive, despite the time crunch. Snape's lip curled at the sight of Abelard and Heloise, but he did not otherwise acknowledge their presence. They settled into their usual seats on the Gryffindor side of the room. Ron and Hermione occupied themselves with attempting to hold hands, while simultaneously endeavoring to thwart their Jarveys' repeated efforts to procreate.

Harry's eyes were glued to the door, and he nearly stopped breathing every time it creaked open. Millicent Bullstrode lumbered in, her Jarvey Aida in tow. Neville, Parvati, Lavender… what in Godric's name was taking Draco so long?

Then, as if Harry had Summoned him, Draco appeared. Harry panicked, and looked quickly away, pretending to be absorbed in watching Ron tuck a lock of hair behind Hermione's ear. Nevertheless, his entire body was alert to Draco's proximity. He could sense Draco watching him, and he suddenly became hyperaware of his own physical presence- his fingertips, his knuckles, his trembling hands.

He had to muster up the courage to meet Draco's eyes. Why was this turning out to be so heart-wrenchingly difficult? What sort of Gryffindor _was_ he?

He took a deep breath and lifted his head; his eyes drifted in the direction towards which the rest of his body was unconsciously pointing. Draco's gray eyes blazed, belying his diffident smile; Harry smiled tentatively back.

Then, suddenly, recollections of the previous night struck Harry with the force of a well-aimed bludger: the shock of Draco's hand on his face, the sudden stillness in the air, the silence in his brain…the lovely, surreal feeling of their lips converging. Draco must have been thinking the same thing; he nervously licked his lips, and a deep blush spread across his cheeks. Harry was sure he'd never seen anything so beautiful.

There was simply no chance of Harry concentrating on today's lesson, not that he was any sort of Potions whiz under normal circumstances. The low silky tones of Snape's voice drifted in and out of his ears; occasionally, he caught a sentence or two to scribble onto his notes, but for the most part, his thoughts remained stubbornly fixed on the blond Slytherin. Being in the same room as Draco, but unable to speak to him, was excruciating. How cruelly ironic that, after years of partnering Harry and Draco together almost every day, Snape seemed to have decided that there was no need for a practical lesson today.

Hermione nudged him hard, and Harry realized with a jolt that the entire class was looking at him expectantly. With a sinking feeling, he perceived Snape regarding him with vindictive pleasure. "It is frighteningly obvious that you've neglected the reading, as usual. Do you wish to take a wild guess, Potter, or may I simply deduct house points and move on?"

"Erm, can you repeat the question? Sir?" he asked, blushing.

"Absolutely not. It appears that you are not only grossly unprepared for today's lesson, but that you've been giving me a mere fraction of your attention. Is there something _distracting_ you, Potter?" Snape's voice was treacherously calm. "Perhaps your academic performance would improve if you were, shall I say, relieved of some of your extracurricular responsibilities…"

"You mean… Quidditch?" Harry asked, dumbfounded. He rubbed the end of his quill against his chin distractedly. The Gryffindors snapped suddenly to attention, and glanced worriedly from Snape to Harry.

"I dare say we understand each other well, after all these years," Snape said evenly.

"Oh, I don't think you understand anything at all, you nasty, greasy git," a voice carried suddenly from the Slytherin side of the room. Horrified, Harry let his eyes follow the sound to Draco's desk, where Leo was standing… Merlin's beard, Leo was actually standing on his hind legs. "You think Harry's distracted by _Quidditch_?"

Harry squeezed his eyes shut and tried to transmit a secret message to the Jarvey's brain. _That's quite all right, Leo. It's very sweet of you to defend me, but you can just stop there, okay? You understand? Okay. Good Jarvey. _

But apparently interspecies telepathic communication wasn't among Harry's innate talents – nor was Leo remotely gifted in the art of discretion. Harry slid deeper and deeper into his seat as Leo gained momentum. "Gee, maybe Harry's a little bit preoccupied because he and Draco were MAKING OUT in a broomcloset last night. Ever consider THAT, you skeezy, fugly creep? Too bad no one wants to make out with YOU!"

There was a moment of perfect silence, as dozens of eyes looked curiously back and forth from Harry to Draco. Harry, breath abated, stole a glance at Draco, who had buried his head in his arms on his desk. Leo was grinning triumphantly at Snape, looking very self-satisfied.

Then, all at once, every student (with the exception of Ron and Hermione) burst into raucous, mirthful laughter. "That Jarvey gets a ten out of ten!" declared Seamus, joyful tears streaming down his cheeks. "Harry and _Malfoy?_! Too funny!"

Harry couldn't believe it – everyone thought it was a joke. He didn't know whether to be relieved or annoyed. He certainly wouldn't have chosen for Leo to out them in the middle of Potions, but now that it had happened, he rather wanted it to be taken seriously. Were his classmates really so dense that they had failed to notice what Harry considered to be an incredibly obvious period of flirtation? Or, he wondered uncomfortably, were they just laughing at the ridiculous notion of The Boy Who Lived as a nancy boy? And what would they think when they realized it was true?_  
_

"That will be _enough_," hissed Snape, silencing the class with a flash of his eyes. His hand was clenched so tightly around his wand that his knucklebones had the appearance of piercing the skin. Harry groaned inwardly, knowing what was coming next.

"Your disrespect knows no bounds. That will be fifty points from Gryffindor, and –," he closed his eyes momentarily, "Five points from Slytherin."

An incredulous gasp rose from the Slytherins, who were troubled far more deeply by this proclamation than their classmates (though the Gryffindors had been punished ten times as severely). "His own_ house_…,"muttered Pansy, shaking her head with disbelief and horror.

"Silence," demanded Snape. "I should also like to mention that this painfully forthright creature is thoroughly mistaken, if he believes that I suffer from any lack of romantic companionship." Harry watched with bizarre fascination as Snape's pallid complexion took on a grayish-purple tint – was Snape blushing?

"Oh, Merlin, I think I just threw up a little in my mouth," whispered Ron.

* * *

Potions ended not a moment too soon, and the corridor leading away from the dungeons quickly became congested with Gryffindor and Slytherin partners trading off their Jarveys. Harry leaned against the wall, waiting for the crowd to disperse.

Five minutes later, to his great frustration, Harry was still waiting. For some reason many of the Gryffindors and Slytherins had decided to linger in the hallway for awhile, almost as if they could tolerate each other –Harry couldn't fathom why. There was no way relations were actually _improving_ between the Gryffindors and Slytherins, was there? Excepting himself and Draco, of course.

After what seemed like an eternity, most people finally started drifting in the direction of their next classes. "We'll meet you in Defense Against the Dark Arts, okay Harry?" called Ron over his shoulder, "I'd wait for you, but Hermione reckons you want a moment alone with-." Hermione expertly clamped one hand over Ron's mouth, and continued to drag him down the corridor.

Draco was leaning against the opposite wall, his feet crossed at the ankles. "Finally alone," he said, smiling shyly at Harry.

Leopulled a faceat him. "Oh, I guess I don't exist, then."

"Did you hear something?" Draco asked, smirking. Leo bit him on the hand, before wriggling out of his arms and scampering over to Harry.

Harry scooped the Jarvey up and held him at arm's length, scowling. "Don't expect me to rush to your defense, after the stunt you pulled today."

Draco chuckled. "I'm not going to lie. I was a little amused – mortified, but amused."

"Yeah, well." Harry's expression softened. "I guess I can't stay mad at anyone who calls Snape a fugly creep – sorry, Draco, I know you like him, but-,"

"_Skeezy_, fugly creep," corrected Leo. "We must acknowledge his skeeziness."

"We absolutely must," agreed Harry, with a mischievous glance at Draco.

Draco rolled his eyes and smiled, and Harry's pulse quickened. Taking a deep breath, he walked slowly across the corridor, and leaned against the wall next to Draco, who rolled his head to the side to face him. "I was waiting for you to come over here," Draco said, beaming.

Harry felt quite warm, all of the sudden. "You could have come to me, you know."

"This wall's more comfortable," said Draco.

"I'm sure." Harry smiled. "Anyway, I should go before I'm late to class. But Draco?"

"Yes?" Draco inched closer to him.

"Are you ever going to return my invisibility cloak?" Harry smiled and let his fingers brush against Draco's for a moment, before gently twining them together.

"Oops, I left it in my dormitory," Draco replied, not sounding terribly regretful. "I guess you'll have to come back with me after dinner to get it." His eyes glinted mischievously. "Did I mention I had a private room?"

Harry felt a blush spread across his cheeks. "You mentioned that."

"Great – well, I'll see you after class, then." Draco blushed too, suddenly. "Bye, Harry."

"Bye..." And before he could talk himself out of it, he gave Draco a quick kiss on the lips before dashing off to Defense Against the Dark Arts.

* * *

Oh my! Harry and Draco alone in a private bedroom? Anything could happen!

Anyway, if you're my kind of reader, you've been sitting there wondering for half the chapter who Snape has been making out with. Well then. I can't say for sure, but I have seen one Minerva McGonagall coming out of the Potions supply closet in the wee hours, looking mighty disheveled.

Try not to let that gross you out,

Neverbird


	11. But Leo Wants Us To

So, um… (:hangs head remorsefully:) that took forever, didn't it? I AM sorry. Hopefully, the fact that this chapter is super long will make it a little better. And I upped the rating – isn't that exciting? Not sure if I needed to, but just in case… Anyway, in the inevitable lapse before my next update, may I make two recommendations? You simply must check out Twasits by Rayne-Jelly (for some _beautifully_ written H/D angst), and Freaks and Geeks by Hello Moto (a fabulously sweet H/D AU).

Before we begin, I'd like to mention how thoroughly amused I am by the response to my last chapter. I mean, I give you anxiety, sexual tension, Jarvey insults… and yet, for every review actually directed towards the story, there were maybe three that went something like, "EWWW, OMG, NO, SNAPE 'N MCGONAGALL! GROSSORZ!" I mean, if this is how you respond to the slightest implication of chaste, closed-mouthed kissing in the potions supply closet, how on earth will you react when I mention that McGonagall meows when she climaxes? Not only that, but Mrs. Norris is totally turned on by it.

Anyway, I am sorry to report that the next chapter will probably be the last, because that seems like it will be the natural point of closure. That means that you should make this your BEST REVIEW EVER, so you can win one of the charming Jarveys from the story.

Disclaimer: Leo's kind of mine – the rest belong entirely to J.K.

**Of Love and Creatures- Part 11**

By Neverbird

"Isn't this nice, Harry?" said Ron. "All of us here together in the Great Hall, enjoying a leisurely, delicious dinner…" He paused, taking a slow, savoring bite of chicken. "I only wish we could stay here forever."

"Haha, Ron," Harry grumbled, biting impatiently into his roll. He was beginning to wish he hadn't been so forthright with Ron and Hermione about his evening plans.

"Hey, is that Ernie Macmillan? I wonder if he fancies a nice, _long_ chat?"

"You wouldn't…"

"Oy, Ernie!"

"Ron, don't," scolded Hermione, cupping his chin in her hand and turning his head around to face her. "You have to stop teasing Harry about Draco."

"Who said anything about Draco?" His eyes widened with horror. "Malfoy, I mean! Bloody hell, I did _not_ just call him Draco. Sorry, Harry, I know you're snogging him and all, but –."

"Ron," Hermione said warningly, still firmly gripping his chin.

His blue eyes twinkled. "_Kiss me_," he mouthed.

Hermione blushed. "_Later_," she mouthed back, smiling slightly. She withdrew her hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Harry rolled his eyes at Leo and stifled a laugh. It was hard to say which was more bizarre – the thought of his two best friends kissing, or the thought of whom he hoped to be kissing within the hour.

He glanced quickly over at the Slytherin table, and for the hundredth time that evening, cursed Draco for sitting with his back to the Gryffindors. A wistful sigh escaped his lips, eliciting a chuckle from Hermione.

"Poor Harry," she said, twisting around in her seat to peek at the Slytherin table. "You think he's forgotten all about you."

Harry shrugged.

"You do! You really think that!" She grinned. "Harry, what if I told you I was a hundred percent certain that Draco is thinking about you – talking about you, even- at this exact moment?"

"A hundred percent certain? This from the girl who stormed out of Divination third year and never looked back?"

"Hush, Ron, I'm talking to Harry."

Harry frowned. "I really don't see how you could know something like that, Hermione."

"Harry." Hermione smiled gently. "Open your eyes. Look again, but don't just look at Draco."

Harry focused his eyes more broadly on the Slytherin table, and realized with a start that Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, Millicent, and Blaise were all giving him the most curious glances. The latter two were actually blatantly turned around in their seats, though they hastily twisted back around when they noticed Harry watching.

_He must be telling them about me! _Harry realized, a pleasant warmth rising in his chest. Blushing, he looked quickly away, and focused on cutting up a few Jarvey-sized bites of chicken for Leo.

Hermione watched Leo swallow each chunk without chewing. "You know," she murmured, her brow wrinkling contemplatively. "Doesn't it seem like Leo's been uncharacteristically quiet throughout this whole meal?"

"How is that not a good thing?" asked Ron.

Hermione shook her head. "It's just not normal, is all…"

The empty dishes from the main course were suddenly replaced by chocolate cake. Harry took a slice and nodded thoughtfully. "I guess I've noticed that he seemed kind of quiet. Didn't think much of it, though." He lifted the Jarvey in front of his face and peered at him closely. "You all right, Leo?"

"You have chocolate on your lip," Leo replied.

Harry smiled. "He seems okay, I guess." He banished the offending chocolate with a flick of his tongue.

It didn't take long for the students to finish their dessert (with the exception of Luna Lovegood, who was still dreamily licking the icing from her fork). Soon, the Great Hall reverberated with the screech of nearly three hundred chairs being pushed out. Harry's heart pounded.

Ron couldn't resist one last opportunity to tease. "So, Harry, I know you sort of had plans after dinner, but surely you'd rather just come back to the common room with Hermione and me, maybe play a game of chess or two…" He clapped Harry gamely on the back. "I mean, what could be more important than spending quality time with your very best mates?"

Harry grinned cheekily. "Well, Ron," he retorted, "I intend to make out with a bloke tonight, so you can either let me go with Draco, or pucker up yourself."

"Bloody hell, Harry!" Ron sputtered, looking horrified. "I never thought I'd say this, but _please_ run off and snog the hell out of Draco Malfoy, okay?"

"Okay," Harry said happily.

Hermione gave him an encouraging smile. "Just have fun tonight," she said, squeezing his shoulder affectionately as she and Ron exited the Great Hall, hand in hand.

* * *

Draco and Harry lingered at their respective tables until Luna finally pushed in her chair and drifted towards the door. "Good morning, Harry," she murmured, as she walked by the Gryffindor table. "I like your ferret."

Leo glared murderously after Luna's retreating back. "I mean, do I _look _like a ferret?" he seethed.

"Well, yes, sort of," said Harry. "But you shouldn't let it upset you – I mean, for one thing, it's Luna, and she's a bit barmy, isn't she?"

"Even _you_ think I look like a ferret," Leo said dejectedly, having forgotten about Luna entirely.

"I wouldn't take it personally, Leonardo," drawled Draco, suddenly materializing beside them. "Harry's been known to call people ferrets inappropriately and undeservedly."

"Undeservedly, huh?" Harry smirked up at him.

"Entirely." A faint smile tugged at the corners of Draco's lips.

They smiled shyly at each other for a moment, until an impatient sigh from Leo prompted Harry to stand up hastily. "So, I guess you should take me to your room now. To fetch my invisibility cloak," he added quickly.

Draco grinned. "Yeah, you'll definitely need it when you sneak back to your dormitory, you know… _after hours_."

Harry's entire body blushed.

* * *

Draco laced his fingers through Harry's, and led him down a series of winding corridors and staircases. They talked casually about Quidditch and classes, but Harry's mind was in a beautiful daze. He followed Draco past countless portraits, most of whom watched them pass with raised eyebrows.

Finally, they arrived in front of a portrait of a severe looking old man, whom Harry only vaguely recognized from second year. "This is it," Draco declared. "I guess you've never seen the Slytherin dormitory, have you?"

"Erm…," Harry hesitated. Draco gave him a curious look.

"Of course not," he lied, feeling slightly guilty. But, he rationalized, there was simply no way around it. _"I impersonated your best mate with Polyjuice Potion when we were twelve, because I thought you were trying to kill people,"_ was simply too bizarre a revelation for so early in their relationship.

His breath caught in his throat. _Is this a relationship, then? _he quickly banished the thought from his mind.

"Acromantula," Draco murmured. The old man grimaced, but swung aside, allowing them to enter. Harry took a deep breath, and followed Draco through the portrait hole.

The Slytherin common room wasn't quite as Harry had recollected. In his memory, it was dank, chilly, and almost wet; it was dark, and it was spooky. Now, four years later, he could appreciate the room's shadowy beauty. The white velvet chairs looked almost ethereal in the hazy green light, and tiny specks of crystal glittered in the stone walls. Abelard and Heloise copulating in front of the fireplace added an eerie, homelike touch.

As dinner had just ended, nearly all of Slytherin house had gathered in the common room to study and socialize. When Harry and Draco stepped inside, all conversation came to an abrupt halt; countless faces turned towards Harry, their expressions ranging from amused fascination to abject horror.

"What are you all looking at?" Draco snapped. He tightened his grip on Harry's hand, and walked purposefully across the room, his nose in the air. Utter silence persisted until the boys reached the staircase, at which point a buzz of excited conversation followed them as they climbed the stairs to Draco's room.

* * *

Draco shut the door behind them and leaned against it, exhaling slowly. "Well," he murmured. "That was uncomfortable." He looked up at Harry and smiled slightly.

Harry smiled back. "You were very brave." He raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you had it in you."

"_Brave?_ Are you turning me into some kind of bloody Gryffindor?" Harry laughed at the genuinely horrified expression on Draco's face.

Leo squirmed slightly, and Harry released him; he immediately ran to the customized Jarvey massage cradle Draco had received by owl post yesterday morning. "It's just so I won't have to rub his damned belly all the bloody time," Draco said defensively, blushing at the blatant amusement reflected in Harry's face.

"Sure, Draco," Harry grinned, stepping slightly forward to take in his surroundings. The room was furnished much like the bedrooms in 12 Grimmauld Place, with dark, expensive looking woods and rich velvets. It was obvious that Draco had supplied his own furniture, as it was of a vastly better quality than the standard pieces provided by Hogwarts. Even Draco's school trunk, which lay at the foot of his four poster bed, was customized, with the Malfoy crest engraved into the lid. Every detail was frighteningly consistent with how Harry had imagined it.

What surprised Harry, however, was the substantial collection of high quality Jarvey supplies Draco had managed to accumulate over the past week. While most of the sixth years had nicked their Jarveys' food and water bowls from the Great Hall, it appeared as though Leo's meals were served on fine, expensive crystal. Dozens of shiny balls and feather toys were painstakingly lined up against one wall. A green silk hammock extended from one of Draco's bedposts to a corner chair, with the name "Leonardo" embroidered across its length in silver thread. There was even a Jarvey-sized ramp positioned conveniently next to the bed.

"Merlin's beard, Draco," he said, grinning and shaking his head slowly. "Spoil him much?"

"I haven't a clue what you're talking about."

"Hey, Draco," Leo interjected suddenly from the massage cradle, "Do you have any of that caviar left?"

Harry laughed out loud. "Right, caviar for the Jarvey - of course. But no, you don't _spoil _Leo or anything…"

Draco shrugged. "Can I help it if my good taste has rubbed off on him?"

"Well, there's no denying that you do have excellent taste." Harry grinned and puffed out his chest.

Draco's eyes twinkled. "Huh. What do you know? Potter has an ego after all."

"Yeah, I must have picked one up from hanging around you."

"This feels familiar." Draco smiled, and took a step closer. "Was it always this sexy when we bantered?"

Harry laughed softly. "Maybe it was, and we were just too repressed to realize it."

"I think I realized it," Draco murmured, letting his hand rest on Harry's waist.

Harry looked up at him and smiled. "And you hexed me anyway?"

"I hexed you especially because of that."

Harry leaned in closer, until his lips were only inches away from Draco's. "But you're not going to hex me now, are you?"

"I haven't decided yet," Draco replied, and then he leaned in – and oh, Harry recognized this moment- the anticipation was making him tingle and ache. His eyes fluttered shut, and his lips parted slightly, and suddenly Draco's arms were wrapped tightly around him and they were kissing eagerly, clumsily. Their noses collided. Their feet touched. Harry slid his hands behind Draco's neck and let his fingers trail softly through the baby fine hair at the nape – he couldn't believe anything in the world could be so soft. The backs of his hands brushed softly against the wall.

It was Draco who finally broke the kiss, exhaling with a contented sigh. Harry's eyes slid open, and he smiled. Draco brushed a hair from his face. They stared each other down with twinkling eyes, and Harry nearly bubbled over with laughter just from the sheer joy of it all. This was sweeter than Christmas, more satisfying than Mrs. Weasley's homemade fudge, more thrilling than any Quidditch game (with the possible exception of the World Cup).

Draco rested a warm hand on Harry's cheek. "Harry, would it be dodgy of me to direct your attention to the big, comfy bed roughly two meters behind you?"

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Slightly dodgy, yes. What happened to that famous Malfoy subtlety?"

"Yeah," Draco murmured, kissing him briefly on the mouth. "Funny how it seems to disappear, once you start spending time with Gryffindors."

"Gryffindors are perfectly subtle. Watch me subtly pull you closer to the aforementioned bed." He grabbed Draco's hand and tugged it with all the gentleness of a troll. Flinging himself backwards on the bed, he pulled Draco on top of him.

"Well executed, Harry. You have an exquisitely light touch." He put both hands on Harry's cheeks and drew his face in so close their noses were touching. "Actually," he murmured suddenly, "I think it would be better if you were wearing just… a bit… _less_."

Draco then proceeded to denude Harry of his glasses, which he folded neatly and set on his nightstand. "I wanted to see you without them, for once," Draco said matter-of-factly. Harry blinked hazily up at him and smiled.

"You know, I had Ron take a picture of me once, so I could see what I looked like without them."

"Wow," said Draco. "That's one of the more pathetic things I've heard." He kissed Harry on the forehead. "Maybe a little adorable… wait, no, actually just pathetic."

Harry shut him up in the loveliest possible way.

* * *

The next hour passed like a dream, as Harry grew accustomed to the weight of Draco's body, and the pressure of his lips. It didn't take long for the school robes to come off – Draco, ever the neat freak, levitated them to his desk, and laid them to rest in a tidy pile on top of Harry's invisibility cloak.

Harry's lips drifted from Draco's cheeks to his forehead to his eyelids – Draco laughed softly – and then Harry slipped his hands beneath Draco's jumper and traced his own name in the warm, smooth skin of his back.

Draco cupped Harry's cheeks in his hands and kissed him deeply on the mouth. Harry's lips parted – their tongues met tentatively at first. Harry almost laughed – it felt so bizarre, and yet his entire lower body was ablaze. Draco's hands found their way to his hair, twisting and tugging and curling locks of it around his fingers; then, he softly pushed Harry's messy bangs aside, and lovingly traced the scar on his forehead.

It was all so new to Harry. It wasn't that he'd never been held before – Hermione tended to be quite physically demonstrative, actually, and Mrs. Weasley doubly so. But there was something electrifying about being held by someone who couldn't seem to get enough of him. Harry didn't know why Draco seemed so fascinated by his hands, his hair, even his earlobes – nor did he know why this intimate attention left him so incredibly aroused.

It was lovely being so nearsighted. Without his glasses, Harry's eyes could only focus properly on Draco, and everything else was a blur. He loved the feel of Draco's fingers brushing softly against his swollen lips. He loved that the room was perfectly silent, but for their own ragged breathing and occasional soft laughter. Or was it too silent?

"Shit," he whispered suddenly, pulling away from Draco with a start.

"What's the matter?" Draco regarded him curiously.

"I just remembered Leo's in here."

"So…" Draco replied, rolling off of Harry and repositioning himself next to him on the bed. Gently, he took Harry's hand.

"I don't know," replied Harry. "Don't you feel strange, doing this in front of him?"

"To be perfectly honest, I forgot he was in here." Draco idly began tracing the lines in Harry's palm.

"Yeah, that's just the thing." Harry said, pulling himself into a sitting position. "Why do you think he's being so quiet, all of the sudden? It's a little worrisome. I think this might be the longest he's ever gone without saying anything. _Accio_ glasses," he muttered distractedly.

"He's just enjoying his massage," Draco insisted, sitting up as well, and rubbing the nape of Harry's neck for emphasis. Harry smiled despite himself, and Draco softly kissed his cheek. "He's fine, Harry. He wants us to make out now, I know he does!"

"You really don't think it's bizarre that he's in here?" Harry asked uncertainly.

"Well, if it bothers you that much, I'll dump him on Pansy for the night." He grinned evilly in the direction of the massage cradle. "Doesn't that sound _fun_, Leonardo?"

Leo didn't reply.

Draco tried again. "Hey, Leo, I think Pansy's got some new nail polish for you to try. Don't you think salmon pink would look great on him, Harry?" He paused, looking expectantly in Leo's direction. "Why isn't he protesting?" he murmured, brow wrinkling with concern.

Harry squeezed Draco's hand briefly, and walked over to the massage cradle. He looked worriedly down at Leo, who appeared to be ignoring him.

"Hey," Harry said softly. "What's the matter, Leo?"

"Nothing, four-eyes," the Jarvey replied, glaring up at him with round, black eyes.

"Oh man, Leo, that was substandard," Draco drawled. "I give you, like, a one out of- OH SHIT!" he exclaimed suddenly.

"What is it?" asked Harry.

Draco shook his head. "I can't believe I forgot. You realize, we're supposed to have been rating Leo's insults this entire time, right?"

"So?" Harry shrugged. "No one's really been bothered with it. You know everyone's just going to throw something together the night before."

"Harry, it _is_ the night before. Everything's due tomorrow."

"Merlin's beard…," Harry's eyes widened. "And that means we give Leo back to Hagrid tomorrow, too."

"Try not to sound so broken up about it," Leo said bitterly.

Harry blinked. No wonder Leo was so upset. Here it was his last night - and he and Draco had ignored him thoroughly, and even threatened to leave him with Pansy.

"Leo, I'm so sorry," Harry said, lifting the Jarvey out of the massage cradle and hugging him to his chest. "I don't know what to say."

Leo squirmed unhappily, and didn't reply. Harry glanced worriedly at Draco, and carried Leo over to the bed. He sat down carefully next to Draco, holding the Jarvey firmly in his lap. Draco pet Leo clumsily on the head. "Erm… did you still want some of that caviar?"

"No," Leo replied icily. He paused, peering up at Draco. "You know, your nostrils look grotesquely huge from this angle."

"No they don't!" Draco protested, scowling. Harry smiled to himself, knowing that Draco would investigate this claim in the mirror as soon as he was alone.

Leo rolled onto his back, looking bored.

Harry sighed. "Leo, I don't know how to apologize for neglecting you on your last night – I wish it didn't have to _be_ your last night, I really do. So does Draco." Leo glanced expectantly at Draco, who, after a moment's hesitation, nodded enthusiastically.

"I hate to give you back," Harry continued, "But it wouldn't be fair if we kept you. None of the blokes in my dormitory feel too warmly towards Jarveys these days, no offense." He looked helplessly down at Leo. "You'll be fine, really," he said. "Hagrid will take good care of you – he'll rub your belly all the time – and then you'll get to go back into the wild. Where you can, like, chase gnomes and stuff," he finished uncertainly.

Leo shot him a disdainful look.

"I'm sorry," he sighed miserably. "Dean and Seamus would kill me, you know?"

Harry didn't know why a lump was forming in his throat. Leo was only a creature, and a fairly irritating creature at that. Besides, he'd barely been with them for a week.

"Hey," said Draco, pressing his lips to Harry's flushed cheek. Harry felt the lump in his throat expand. "He's going to be fine. Okay?" Draco murmured. Harry nodded, and leaned into Draco, letting his head rest on his shoulder."

"Excuse me," interjected Leo. "What does a creature have to do to get a belly rub around here?"

Harry's hand extended automatically in the direction of Leo's stomach. "Not very much, apparently," Draco muttered, smiling wryly. He watched Harry's fingers twirl through Leo's gray fur, his thoughts racing.

* * *

The content of Draco's racing thoughts? I'm afraid you will have to wait until next time to find out (unless, of course, it's completely obvious, in which case…oops).

Some more excessively long author's notes:

First, let's all take a moment to appreciate the fact that I refrained from including any "hex me up" or "I want to have hex with you" puns. I believe I showed enormous restraint.

Secondly, I would like to mention that, upon rereading parts of Chamber of Secrets, it has come to my attention that there is no portrait hole for Slytherin, and definitely no Old Man. However, as I did not realize this the first time I sent Draco back through the portrait hole a few chapters ago, I decided it was more important to be consistent than accurate. I hope no one minds terribly.

Lastly, I implore you – be gentle with me when reviewing the mushy gushy romance stuff. I will confess right now that writing actual kissy scenes is a huge challenge for me The verbal sparring, the build-up, the sexual tension – no problem. But then I'm supposed to write about tongue tussling without it sounding gross? I actually think JKR shares my little problem – ever notice the way she kind of speeds over the actual kisses? That's my first instinct, but I decided to challenge myself this time, and draw it out for as long as I could stand. I truly hope it's not too corny – I apologize deeply if it is, and I hope you manage to vomit away from your keyboards. Thank you.


	12. Mopshit

A bazillion apologies for taking so very long to update. Unfortunately, I was put under the imperius curse, and had no control over the matter.

Ok, to be honest, I had various personal obligations to fulfill (deadlines and the like). It was evil of me. Forgive me.

Anyway, thank you all so much for reading this far, and for all of your kind reviews. You've put up with so much – painfully long lapses between updates, horrific implications of Snape/McGonagall sex… Thanks for hanging in there!

This is the last chapter of my story, and I'd like to dedicate it to my mom, who has recently been indoctrinated into the wonderful world of Harry/Draco slash (I know, isn't that awesome and hilarious?). Without further ado…

**Of Love and Creatures**

_**By Neverbird**_

**Chapter 12**

Morning arrived all too soon for Draco, who generally required eight hours on 1000-thread Egyptian cotton to function even at the most basic level. Never mind that last night had been, without question, the most thrilling night of his teenage life. At the moment, his mind only had room for two thoughts: 1) Why was it so bloody sunny in the middle of bloody winter, and 2) why in Salazar's name didn't he have a house elf to shut the damn blinds?

Indeed, it was uncommonly sunny for February, though the air remained bitingly cold. The Gryffindor and Slytherin sixth-years trudged down the path they had worn through the snow, lugging their Jarveys down to Hagrid's hut for the last time.

By the time Draco arrived, Harry was already there, surrounded by his ever-present posse of Gryffindors. He immediately caught Draco's eye and smiled, albeit sadly. Draco wondered how shocked everyone would be if he pushed Weasley and Granger aside, and snogged Harry senseless right then and there… The mere thought of it made him blush deeply, and Harry gave him a curious look. Draco was simultaneously relieved and disappointed when Hagrid emerged from his hut, grinning and ruddy-faced.

'Yer all 'ere? Good!" the half-giant crowed. "If yeh'll quiet down, we kin get started."

"I can hardly wait," Blaise deadpanned.

Hagrid rubbed his hands together and smiled. "Firs' on the agenda, let's talk about yer projects. Did any of yeh come up with anythin' interestin'?"

"Not really," seemed to be the general consensus; Hagrid was unperturbed. "Righ'. Well yeh can speak up now or not, but yeh'll be writing two feet eh parchmen' on it either way." The Gryffindors and Slytherins groaned so loudly, and with such perfect unity, that Dumbledore heard it in his office and smiled.

Hagrid soon launched into a tiresome lecture about Jarvey language skills fifty years ago, losing the attention of most of the class within the first minute or so. Draco's thoughts drifted to Harry. Last night had been unimaginably wonderful… he could hardly wait to try it again, with no interruptions this time… and, perhaps, slightly less in the way of clothing. His heartbeat accelerated as he watched Harry pretend to listen to Hagrid, idly scratching Leo beneath the neck. Draco caught his eye and grinned, making Harry's cheeks flush adorably.

"An' now I reckon it's time teh turn in yer Jarveys. Yeh've all done so well, an' I know yer disappointed-," Lavender Brown laughed bitingly, "But it's time teh say goodbye." Harry looked utterly forlorn.

"Righ'. So when I call yer Jarvey's name, if yeh'll jus' step forward and plop em' in this box… any questions, firs'?"

"Do we have to turn them in, or can we keep them if we want to?" a low voice blurted from the back. Everyone turned around, and looked quite surprised to see Millicent Bullstrode staring inquisitively at Hagrid, her Jarvey cradled gently to her barrel-like chest.

Hagrid chuckled. "Yer serious?" She nodded. He smiled and shook his head. "Well, I certainly don' have a problem with it, Millicen', but I 'spect yer dormmates might have somethin' the say…"

"Oh, I have plenty to say about it!" shrieked Pansy. "You're _barking_ mad if you think you're keeping that creature in our room – I haven't had a good night's sleep in a week!" Millicent glared at her, and clutched her Jarvey all the more tightly.

"Righ'," Hagrid said uncomfortably. "Well, I reckon we'd bes' get started. Abelard's firs'."

"Good riddance, you horny bastard," muttered Ron. Goyle nodded firmly, and deposited Abelard in the box.

"Aida." Millicent, glowering at everyone around her, approached the box in silence and placed the Jarvey gently inside.

"Brutus."

"Oh, I'm outta here, bitches!" The slender white Jarvey leapt out of Seamus' hands and bolted for the forest. Hagrid caught him effortlessly by the tail, and scooped him into the box with a yawn.

"Heloise." Pansy eagerly handed the Jarvey to Hagrid, who was about to deposit her with the others, when Hermione rushed forward.

"Hagrid, wait! I don't think you should put her in there with Abelard! They'll… erm… well, I'm worried that she'll become…well, you know, pregnant."

Hagrid laughed. "Well, it's too late teh worry, Hermione – she's already pregnan', of course!"

Pansy, Hermione, Ron, and Goyle gasped simultaneously.

Hagrid nodded matter-of-factly, as he pressed gently against Heloise's stomach with two fingers. "Well, sure – an' I reckon there're a good dozen little 'uns in there."

"A dozen?" exclaimed Ron. "Merlin's beard, she's as fertile as my mum!"

The entire class burst out laughing. Ron was redder than Winky the house elf after fifteen butterbeers, and yet… he looked rather pleased with himself.

Hagrid put one arm around Hermione's shoulders and the other arm around Pansy's. "Let's have a roun' of applause fer the proud grandmas!"

The class obligingly hooted and cheered. "Bloody hell," muttered Pansy, as she and Hermione exchanged a horrified glance.

"Yeah, well," Hagrid said, chuckling. "I reckon we'd best move on. Where was I?" He paused for a moment. "Oh, righ'! I'll be needin' Leo."

Harry said nothing, and Draco was sure he was the only one to notice the sharp flicker of sadness in his eyes. His mouth set in a determined line, Harry walked slowly forward, clutching Leo tightly. Draco tried to catch his eye, but he seemed to be pointedly looking away.

Draco sighed inwardly – he couldn't believe he was about to do this. It was magnanimous, almost selfless – practically a betrayal of his Slytherin roots. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"We're keeping him," he muttered.

"Sorry, what?" asked Harry, staring at him incredulously.

Draco's cheeks flushed. "I said we're keeping him."

"No, you're not!" chorused Seamus, Dean, Ron, and even Neville.

"Oh yes we are," Draco snapped. "I'm keeping him, okay? I have my own room, so I fail to see how any of your opinions are relevant."

Harry continued to stare at him, dumbfounded. "You… you don't have to do this…"

"I know," Draco said, smiling slightly.

"Draco…," Harry murmured, taking a step closer. Leo squirmed futilely in his arms. Draco patted the Jarvey's head affectionately, and then clasped Harry's free hand gently in his own. Harry's green eyes twinkled, and Draco felt himself leaning in ever closer towards him… He was wholly, sublimely oblivious to the varying degrees of shock and amazement reflected on his classmates' faces. "No kidding," murmured Seamus, shaking his head. Pansy and Blaise exchanged amused smiles, and Hermione leaned into Ron and sighed happily.

Hagrid cleared his throat, jolting Draco and Harry back to the present. "Right," said Draco. "So, anyway, I'll be keeping this Jarvey, thanks."

"Are yeh sure, Draco?" Hagrid raised an eyebrow. "Yeh'll be needin' teh feed him rats an' voles soon, yeh know."

Draco blanched, but he simply lifted his chin slightly and said "That's fine." Harry snorted.

"Well, that's settled," Hagrid replied cheerfully. "Movin' on, then…"

"Draco Malfoy handling rats and voles?" Harry whispered, "I'll believe that when I see it."

"Oh, you certainly _won't _see it," Draco whispered back. "Steak is a perfectly adequate source of protein for Leonardo. Hagrid doesn't need to know."

Harry laughed under his breath and squeezed Draco's hand. "Whatever you say."

* * *

Once all the Jarveys but Leo had been collected, Hagrid handed out scrolls of data from half a century ago to each set of partners, and instructed them to spend the rest of the hour comparing them to the notes they had compiled on their own Jarveys. The pairs of students spread out around the grounds, using their wands to melt patches of snow off of rocks to sit on. Harry and Draco were about to stake their claim on a ledge off to the side of the hut, when Hagrid clapped his enormous hand on Harry's back. "Harry, a word, if yeh don' mind."

"Okay, sure, Hagrid," Harry nodded, handing Leo off to Draco. With a shrug and a smile at the Slytherin, he followed Hagrid into his hut.

Draco scratched Leo's head as he carried him over to the ledge. "So," he said, "I guess we're roommates now."

Leo flicked his tail rudely. "I'd rather share a room with Harry."

"Yeah, well, so would I," Draco replied irritably. He muttered a quick incantation to clear enough snow off the ledge to sit comfortably, and hoisted himself up onto it backwards. He stared moodily in the direction of Hagrid's hut, wishing Harry would emerge.

Leo sighed. "So we're stuck with each other," he said, crawling into Draco's lap. "I suppose you'll do." Draco looked down, amazed to see Leo snuggling sweetly into the crook of his arm. He patted the Jarvey tentatively, a slight blush staining his cheeks. To be honest, it freaked him out slightly to see Leo being affectionate, but he felt a wave of tenderness for the Jarvey all the same.

"Wow," Harry commented, joining them by the ledge at last. "You two are so cute it hurts."

"Yeah, yeah," said Draco with a wry smile. "We try."

"And Draco certainly has to try harder than most," added Leo.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Harry, what were you and Hagrid talking about back there?"

"Oh, we didn't talk, really," replied Harry, hoisting himself up on the ledge next to Draco. "Just a quick snog."

"You have five seconds to say you're kidding, or I'm never kissing you again."

Harry laughed. "I'm kidding! He just wanted to make sure Leo would be ok staying with you."

"And why wouldn't he be?" Draco asked indignantly.

"Because you hate creatures and they hate you, and you're thoroughly horrible with them, pretty much," Harry said smiling. He took Draco's hand and twined their fingers together. 'But never fear. I told Hagrid how much you adore Leo-"

"I don't adore Leo!"

"Oh, you totally adore me." Leo said matter of factly.

"Nah, I can hardly stand you," Draco insisted, still cradling the Jarvey like a baby in one arm. "I'm only keeping you so Harry wouldn't embarrass me by weeping like a drunk Hufflepuff in the middle of class." He grinned at Harry, who was trying unsuccessfully to maintain an icy glare. "Anyway, I already have the hammock and everything. What else was I going to do with all that stuff?"

"I'm sure it would all come in handy if you were ever turned into a ferret again," Harry helpfully suggested.

"Oh, shut up," Draco replied, smiling despite himself.

"Make me," said Harry.

Gently cupping Harry's hand in his cheek, Draco did exactly that.

* * *

**

* * *

Epilogue - Two weeks later:**

"Well?" Ron asked anxiously, as Hermione emerged from the hut.

"Twelve!" she announced "Hagrid was right. Oh, Ron, they're so cute – they're all pink and tiny, and their eyes haven't even opened yet."

"Awwwwww!" Harry and Ron exclaimed simultaneously, in a manner that was frighteningly reminiscent of Lavender and Parvati. Hermione and Draco shared a brief smirk.

"And how's Heloise doing?" asked Pansy.

"She's fine," Hermione replied. "Just a bit tired, but she'll be back to her old self after a good night's rest."

"Dunno know if that's a good thing…" muttered Goyle.

Hermione laughed. "I know, right?" she said. "Anyway, Hagrid says we can all go in there now, as long as we don't make too much noise."

"I think she means you, Leonardo," Draco said sternly to the bundle of fur in his arms.

"That's a bit rich coming from you," replied Leo, "What with all the noise you and Harry were making last ni –."

"OKAY, I think it's time to follow Hermione inside," Harry interrupted loudly, blushing all the way to his ears.

Hermione opened the door of the hut, allowing Harry, Ron, Draco, Pansy, Goyle, and herself to step tentatively inside. The room was unusually warm, and there was pile of blankets on the table that seemed to be emitting adorable squeaking sounds. Hagrid beckoned for them to come closer.

"Aww," cooed Pansy, catching her first glimpse of the dozen baby Jarveys sniffing and stumbling around their mother's body. "And here I never thought anything cute would ever come out of Heloise!"

"Look at them! They're so squirmy! Hermione, look at that one!"

"I told you they were adorable," replied Hermione, standing on tiptoe to kiss Ron on the cheek. Ron smiled and put his arm around her shoulders.

"When will they start talking, Hagrid?" asked Harry.

Hagrid chuckled. "In about five minutes er so, I 'spect."

As if on cue, one tiny Jarvey poked its head out from behind Heloise's leg, looked right at Pansy, and squeaked, "Lookie that goat's uggle nester!"

"Erm, was that supposed to be an insult?" asked Pansy.

"I think he called you ugly," Draco said.

"That is _so cute_!" Pansy exclaimed. "He can't even see me! That was the cutest insult ever!"

"It takes em a while teh get used teh the language, yeh see," Hagrid explained. "They'll be speakin' normally in a week er two."

"You smally liken mopshit," one little Jarvey remarked.

"What does that even mean?" Goyle wondered aloud, sniffing indiscreetly at his armpit.

Harry looked back at Draco and smiled. "They're pretty adorable, aren't they?"

"Don't you dare try to talk me into keeping another one of these ferrets." Draco came up behind him and rested his chin on his shoulder. "You know that in two weeks, he'll outgrow the cute words like 'mopshit', and start bantering with Leo when we're trying to make out."

"As opposed to _you _bantering with him when we're trying to make out..."

"Well, I can't let him have the last word," explained Draco.

Leo stretched lazily in Draco's arms and smirked up at him. "And yet, somehow, I always manage to get the last word, don't I?"

"I think he's right," Harry murmured, eyes twinkling.

"Of course I'm right," said Leo. "Now for the love of Merlin, let's get back to the castle so you can hook me up with some filet mignon. Lord knows I deserve it."

Draco sighed. "Truly, you don't, but I'm probably going to give you some anyway, aren't I?" He shook his head. "All right. Come on, you."

They took their leave of Hagrid, Heloise, and the babies, and trudged up the path back to the castle. Hagrid watched them through the window, chuckling to himself. The last thing he heard before they slipped out of ear shot was a faint voice demanding a belly rub, in no uncertain terms.

* * *

THE END

* * *

_Final Author's Notes:_

Predictable? Yeah, I know, but I'm a sucker for happy endings. No way was I going to send Leo back to the forest.

Of course, I don't plan on sending any of the Jarveys back to the forest. I bequeath them to you, my awesome reviewers.

Baby Jarveys go to: Blackened-wings, Lunadeath, Saber ShadowKitten, IssaLee, Megalicious Moony, Rayne-Jelly, abigfan, weasie37, Ridley Jack, Lux et Veritas, Tee Dee, and Wraithwriter (for consistently writing reviews that make me grin and dance around my apartment to Fiddy Cent).

Aida goes to JadeLilyMalfoy.

Sigmund goes to beserkergoddess.

Abelard goes to MyKa HoLLy

Heloise goes to XO'MagickMoon'OX.

Brutus goes to "simply me" and her smiley army of doom.

I cannot emphasize enough how much your reviews have meant to me. I adore you, and appreciate you more than you'll ever know.

To all of you: Again, thank you so much for your support. This has been such a blast, and you all deserve Jarveys (never fear – Abelard and Heloise are very reliable in this area).

I would like to officially dedicate this story to the memory of my cat, upon whom I based the character of Leo. He died just after I posted chapter 3, but I've loved keeping him alive through this story. The fact that you all seem toadore him has meant so much to me.


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